Communist Party (PC) president Lautaro Carmona proposed this Tuesday reinstating an Emergency Family Income (IFE) benefit to support people out of work. He said there are nearly a million unemployed Chileans.
The party leader made the proposal on Cooperativa's El Primer Café program. He described the economic situation as "a really tough situation of economic stagnation" and called for concrete, direct state support.
Chileans are familiar with the IFE. The state began paying it in May 2020 to help households that lost income during the COVID-19 pandemic, when health restrictions prevented many families from working.
Carmona now proposed "an IFE that goes straight to the heart of the matter" for those suffering most from the crisis. He added that unemployment affects the entire families of unemployed people. "Consequently, there is no time," he warned.
The former deputy focused on how long a household can hold out without income. "One month, two months, three months?" he asked. He also rejected borrowing as a way out because, he said, the vast majority of unemployed people do not qualify for credit.
Alongside the payment, Carmona called for investment in public works to resume "right now". He described the IFE as a package of proven, feasible measures, though he acknowledged that it requires state spending.
The proposal does not specify amounts, eligibility requirements or how long the benefit would last. So far, there has also been no public response from José Antonio Kast's government or other parties to the PC's specific idea.
There is an unusual point of agreement. Carmona said he "very much agreed" with National Renewal (RN) Senator Paulina Núñez, who said on television over the weekend that immediate action was needed. Núñez called on the executive branch to provide an employment bonus and increase spending, with unemployment at 9.6%, and said the Chile Despega plan was insufficient.
Addressing potential resistance to spending within the government, Carmona called for it to be seen as "an investment in people, in human beings." He also noted that the end of the year was approaching, a period he described as "very challenging" for families' morale.
