After a three-year wait, public service branches of the ETUC’s Spanish affiliates CCOO and UGT have won a new deal on pay and conditions for 40,000 workers in central government administration.
The previous Spanish government had refused to negotiate. The agreement brings an overall wage increase of 14% for the lowest paid employees, covering the three years 2018-2020.
It includes measures to clarify job classifications and relate them more closely to educational qualifications. The unions also welcomed agreement, for the first time, on provisions to allow workers aged 55 and over to opt for partial early retirement. Other elements cover professional career development, mobility and complementary payments.
“Both unions consider that including these measures in the single convention means that the text responds to the demands made and will benefit the workers over the next few years,” said a union representative.