CCOO denounces an "unbearable work climate" in banking amidst the sector's record profits

Barcelona"The Spanish banking sector had never earned so much money, and its staff have never been worse off." Comissions Obreres has announced an autumn of mobilizations in the banking sector across the State due to the "unbearable working climate" that staff are suffering amid a context of record profits. The pressure measure will arrive, therefore, a few months before the negotiation tables for the sector's next collective agreement are established, which are scheduled for the first quarter of next year. During a press conference held in Madrid this Thursday, CCOO requested that a salary improvement of 7% be studied for 2027, and 4% annually between 2028 and 2030. It also demanded that the next agreement establish a maximum of 1,600 annual working hours, which workers would achieve by gaining a long weekend each month.

Regarding the mobilizations, specifically, the union plans an escalation of demonstrations for both October and November. The possibility of holding a two-hour partial strike for the first fortnight of December is also being studied. "We have the will for it to be an escalation of mobilizations with other organizations," stated the state representative of CCOO at CaixaBank, Íñigo Vicente Herrero, this Thursday.

Damage to health

During the press conference, the union also presented a report that contrasts the work environment of the staff with the record profits of the sector. According to the data provided, the financial sector has destroyed 40% of jobs, which is equivalent to 108,000 employees, and has also closed 63% of the branches it had throughout the Spanish territory, going from 45,662 offices to 17,040. This has had a strong impact on the workload of the employees: a survey prepared by CCOO ensures that almost 97% of employees report a "critical increase" in the volume of work. It also highlights that more than 80% state that the work environment is damaging their physical or mental health.

According to the union, part of this degradation is due to excessive targets. The union's survey shows that 64.4% of commercial managers say they feel pressured to sell products, even reaching the point of compromising compliance and consumer protection regulations. Furthermore, some 19,000 workers –7.8% of the staff– worked overtime last year, and 76% of these hours –about 83,000– were not paid.