Metalworkers' agreement: salaries for 200,000 employees will rise by 10% until 2027

BarcelonaThe metalworkers' unions in Barcelona, ​​CCOO and UGT, reached a preliminary agreement with the employers' association UPM early Friday morning for the new collective bargaining agreement for the sector. As a result, the workers have called off the two days of strikes they had planned for December 3rd and 10th. In a statement, CCOO explained that the agreement is valid for three years, "incorporates most of the main demands" of the union's proposal, and will be put to a vote by delegates next week for ratification. The salary increases will be 4% for 2025 (applied retroactively), 3% for 2026, and 3% for 2027. In total, this represents a cumulative 10% increase. This agreement is particularly significant because it affects approximately 200,000 workers in the region.

The preliminary agreement between unions and employers also includes a wage guarantee clause of 100% of the annual CPI – ensuring that salaries do not fall below inflation and, therefore, that purchasing power is not lost – and the payment of "usual" bonuses and incentives during vacations. The CCOO union highlighted that, regarding occupational health, the preliminary agreement guarantees a 100% supplement in cases of workplace accidents with or without hospitalization but with sick leave exceeding four days.

Regarding working hours, the agreement will increase from 1,750 annual hours in 2025 to 1,742 hours in 2027. The General Secretary of Industry for CCOO, Josep Rueda, emphasized that they are "proud" of the preliminary agreement, which is "the best possible." "If at any point a colleague tells you that strikes, mobilization, and worker unity are useless, you can cite the example of the metalworkers' agreement in Barcelona," he stated in a video addressed to the workers.

Lengthy negotiations

UGT, for its part, also emphasized that this agreement is "the direct result of the unity, mobilization, and resolve demonstrated by the metalworkers of Barcelona, ​​and of the union work carried out throughout the weeks of negotiation." "The achievement of this preliminary agreement demonstrates once again that collective struggle is effective and that the strength of the working class is capable of paving the way for new rights," the organization added in a statement. Meanwhile, the president of UPM, Jaume Roura, celebrated the agreement and noted that it comes after "long negotiations." According to the president of the metal employers' association, "common sense has prevailed," achieving improvements such as a wage increase "above the cost of living" and a reduction in the annual working hours. The president of UPM insisted that the preliminary agreement has allowed for the cancellation of the strikes planned for December 3 and 10, since "they are not good for anyone."