Five days later, the Basque Government’s Councillor for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, Arantxa Tapia, and the President of Confesbask, Eduardo Zubiaurre, spoke sincerely and clearly: “Either there’s less left or all the workers are left with less cost to the company,” Zubiaurre said; wages need to be lowered to “invest more money in the training of workers,” Tapia said. What if they lowered their pay to get some training? Specifically, for them to work empathy through the technique of egg care.

A long time ago, I read the text of a psychologist working with men who abuse women or children. One of the common characteristics of these men, in addition to homophobia or hypercarcinized models, was the lack of empathy. To such an extent, many did not realize that they made the creatures they mistreated suffer. To such an extent, it was necessary to start almost from scratch to develop the ability to put yourself in the ‘skin of the other’: it was a regular exercise to give an egg to the aggressor in custody, giving him the commission not to be broken. The goal was to create new feelings of responsibility: “What does the other need?”, “it is fragile and can be broken”, “I have to take care”...

I am convinced that the statements by Tapia and Zubiaurre (continuous) show more lack of empathy than malice – a lack of ability to empathise with the workers, who are easily put on the market, cement or businessmen. Given the number of people making their decisions about the lives and times we live in, it would be worth investing in the exercise.

It may not be necessary, because it is to be assumed that Idoia Mendia, a socialist, a Minister for Labour and Employment and a powerful vicelehendakari, will not allow an anti-terrorist policy in the Basque Government, which will be very strong for the neo-liberals. But beware, because all of a sudden, the Olaizola-Urruti-Altuna-Ezkurdia quartet can move ahead with the eternal solution of all labor conflicts, creating a new partnership “that they themselves will lead” and giving 48 hours to all workers, trade unionists and strikers to join their lap. No bad thing that there are workers without slipping, Bingen Zupiria would say. I agree with Jokin Bildarratz and Paulo Coelho: less indignation, more smiles and constructive proposals; less banners and strikes, an egg(kit) for Tapia and Zubiaurre.