The unions call for mobilization spurred by the effects of the war

BarcelonaWorkers' Day arrives marked by geopolitical instability, internationally, and the electoral calendar in the State. Under the slogan Against wars and fascism, more rights and more unionism, UGT and CCOO call on workers to mobilize to demand public policies that alleviate the economic consequences of the war in Iran. In parallel, they remain immersed in political discussion and aspire to become a moral containment wall against right-wing and far-right forces, both locally – with the PP, Vox, and Aliança Catalana in their sights – and globally, where all eyes are on the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

In Catalonia, the central event will start at 12 noon from Ronda de Sant Pere with Plaça Urquinaona and will go down Via Laietana, and at the same time there will be mobilizations in Girona, Tarragona, and Lleida. The main demonstration at the Spanish level will be in Malaga, coinciding with the Andalusian elections campaign. The left fears that the right-wing parties will occupy the Junta again for four more years, as has happened in Aragon, Extremadura, and Castilla y León. In Catalonia, alternative unionism has called for a march at 5:30 p.m. together with the Taula d'Habitatge de Catalunya, participated by the Sindicat de Llogateres.

Unemployment and purchasing power

Catalonia has closed the first quarter of 2026 with a 24% increase in unemployment, the worst start to the year since 2009. According to the Active Population Survey (EPA), it added 84,400 unemployed and destroyed 46,300 jobs, data that unions considered "worrying" and that the Minister of Business and Labour, Miquel Sàmper, pledged to study "in detail".

Those affected by an employment regulation file during the first three months of the year have increased by 53% compared to last year, a sharp increase that places the figure at 1,874 people, the highest point in a first quarter since 2021. Files have been announced in companies such as Glovo, Nissan and Nestlé.

In parallel, unions warn about the loss of purchasing power due to the impact of the war on energy and fuel prices. According to the advanced CPI, prices rose by 3.2% in April compared to last year, although they tempered the increase in March. These figures place the economy in a very different position from the moment the war in Ukraine broke out, which caused CPI growth to soar to 10.8% in July 2022.

UGT and CCOO demand a further step in the measures approved by the government of Pedro Sánchez to face the international economic situation. They call for limiting fuel and energy prices, subsidizing basic products, and guaranteeing free transport. A couple of months ago, the Spanish executive decreed a reduction in VAT on electricity, gas, and fuels, and aid for professional groups and vulnerable families.

Open folders

Trade unions will take advantage of Labor Day to once again defend the Spanish government's regularization of migrants, which generates reticence in some sectors due to the impact it may have on the labor market and public finances. The leaders of CCOO and UGT have rejected that it can be used "perversely to lower wages," in the words of the general secretary of CCOO, Unai Sordo, and that it poses a danger to Spanish workers.

The day will also be marked by the problem of access to housing – in Barcelona, regulation is failing to curb price increases – and workplace accidents, after fatal accidents at work increased by 15.74% last year, with workplace accidents, after fatal accidents at work increased by 15.74% last year, with the death of 125 people.

Trade unions will take advantage of the mobilization to call for the opening of negotiations for a new Agreement for Employment and Collective Bargaining (AENC), the general agreement that sets salary increases that will then have to be transferred to the negotiation tables of sectoral agreements. The reduction of the working day to 37.5 hours has been left out of the political debate, even though, according to the general secretary of UGT of Catalonia, Camil Ros, "it is a permanent and ongoing demand".