Pablo Mierescurrent leader of the Independent Party and former Minister of Labor, has responded to the statements of former president José Mujica, who accused the government of have implemented a “de facto tax” by freezing salaries for 40 months. This controversy has sparked strong discussion in the Uruguayan political sphere, particularly regarding Mujica’s leadership and his influence within the Popular Participation Movement (MPP).
Mujica’s statements were made through a video published on social networks, where he alleged that Uruguayan workers would have faced a freeze in both their salaries and pensions, which generated significant financial losses for the people. “That was a tax in fact, of millions of dollars that the working people paid, and they never returned it nor will they return it.”said the former president, emphasizing that the economic difficulties were evident due to a constant increase in the cost of living.
In a recent press conference, Mieres was quick to respond to these accusations. He considered that the statements made by Mujica were “such a lie.” According to Mieres, such an interpretation of the economic situation in Uruguay is not only misleading, but also reveals misinformation on the part of the former president.
Mieres’ elucidations on government management
During his speech, Mieres stressed: “I don’t know who told José Mujica to tell such a lie, but the truth is that they gave him a hard time. And the truth is that at the height of Mujica’s life it makes me very sad and very sad.”. With this reflection, the former minister expressed his discontent with the lack of precision in the statements about the state of employment and retirements in the country.
He argued that the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a global impact on the economy, undoubtedly affected Uruguay, which justifies some variations in the purchasing power of citizens. “What did happen in the first year of the government was that there was a pandemic in the world, I suppose Mujica will remember.“, commented Mieres, highlighting that the situation that the different economic sectors went through occurred in a consensual manner with the union movement.
Additionally, Mieres emphasized an agreement reached in July 2020, where the parties involved, including the PIT-CNT and the Frente Amplio, recognized the negative impact that the pandemic could have on the national economy. “After that period of one year had passed, where we all signed that commitment, the salary and pensions of Uruguayans did nothing but recover.”, he added, emphasizing the importance of this pact in the current context.
