Batera Seeks to Create Jobs

This effort to improve conditions in Iparralde is worth publishing about.

Here you have it:

Batera’s demands could create 5,000 jobs

Experts have examined the possible consequences in the area of employment if the Forum’s four demands are met

Eneko Bidegain – BAIONA

“How and why do certain elected representatives, despite being in the minority, insist on opposing our four demands and thereby go against the interests of the people of this country?” With this question Jean-Noel Etxeberri launched Batera’s campaign yesterday morning. “These people will have to explain themselves publicly.” Batera aims to hold the Deputies, Jean Grenet and Daniel Poulou and other “important” elected representatives, who are against a Basque department, responsible for opposing the creation of 5,000 jobs in the Northern Basque Country [under French jurisdiction].

According to the research the Batera forum has commissioned from a number of experts, if the four demands (a Basque département, the recognition of the Basque language, the département’s own university and a chamber of agriculture) were met, 4,920 jobs could be created directly or indirectly in the Northern Basque Country. The Batera forum has been meeting with economists, trade union leaders, university people, people involved in the Development Council, people working in Basque language and cultural activities, etc. They were asked to calculate how many jobs would be created in five years, if the four demands were met.

They concentrating on measuring the number of public sector jobs that would be created, because they have “objective data” for calculating this. They admitted that coming up with figures on the jobs that could be created in the private sector was more difficult, but they did, however, put forward some hypotheses regarding the jobs in the chamber of agriculture and the university.

Jean-Noel Etxeberri admitted that the study presented by Batera does not represent “the absolute truth.” “We have been working on modest hypotheses. They could be lower than what they might actually turn out to be. Moreover, we have not gauged the other benefits that could result from the creation of new jobs.” Batera does not want to resort to “demagogy by giving inflated figures”.

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