Spain will extend furlough scheme 'as long as necessary'

Spain's ERTE furlough scheme will be extended 'as long as necessary', Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz told IB3 radio station on Thursday, before talks with unions and employers on the issue scheduled for Friday. The scheme, which is currently due to end on Sept. 30, provides furloughed workers with 70% of their base salary for the first six months, before dropping to 50% for the following months. 'The key to the mechanism is that it stays. It's absurd to put an end date on it. I believe that the ERTEs should stay in place. For how long? As long as necessary,' she told IB3. On Friday, the minister is due to meet union representatives and business leaders in Palma de Mallorca to negotiate the conditions of how to extend the programme. In a separate interview with La Sexta television, Diaz described the drop in coverage to 50% as 'profoundly unfair'.