"They force us to work Sundays for free"

L'Hospitalet de LlobregatThe days leading up to Christmas are the peak time of year when large stores are packed with shoppers looking for gifts and food to enjoy the holidays. However, behind these shopping sprees are employees who are denouncing the excessive workload they have to shoulder during this period and the fact that some department store chains are forcing them to work Sundays and holidays without extra pay. Dozens of these employees protested this Thursday outside the Ikea store in Hospitalet de Llobregat, called by the CCOO union, to express their discontent and demand improvements in work-life balance and wages in these types of establishments. "Worked Sunday, paid Sunday" and "They don't give us any option for work-life balance" were some of the slogans chanted by representatives of staff from multinationals such as Ikea, Carrefour, and Leroy Merlin.

This demand comes after the CCOO union conducted a workplace climate survey among workers in this sector, in which almost 100% reported suffering from excessive workloads and a lack of rest. 75% also supported making Sunday and holiday work voluntary and financially compensated. "These days, work-life balance is minimal," laments Maria Torres, head of department stores for the CCOO Services Federation of Catalonia. She also points out that this situation is compounded by constantly changing schedules and the inability to choose vacation times. Currently, there are no open talks with the sector's employers regarding the national collective bargaining agreement, but the current agreement expires next year, and the unions want to demand the implementation of these measures. Even so, CCOO is not the most representative union in the negotiations, which are being led by Fetico and Valorian, often accused of being "yellow unions" by other organizations. "Some companies have made improvements, and others haven't," says Torres, who works at the Leroy Merlin DIY stores. Rosa Muñoz has worked at the Carrefour in El Prat de Llobregat for 40 years. "When I started, they weren't open on Sundays. Now, for the last few years, they have been, but at first it was voluntary and paid at 150% plus a day off. Currently, it's mandatory, even for those of us who started without a Sunday work clause. They force us to work Sundays for free," criticizes the president of the works council. The consequence, Muñoz adds, is that customers find aisles empty of employees to serve them. When she started working at the store, there were 120 cashiers, and now there are 35. "That's why when there's a lot of traffic, we have to drop everything to help at the registers, and we're left with no one to restock the shelves," this Carrefour employee asserts.

There are fewer of us to do the same job

The scenario she describes is similar to that experienced by Radha Atienza during her nine years working at the Swedish furniture chain Ikea. "We don't have the option to refuse to work on Sundays, and they aren't paid. Regardless of whether we work Sundays and holidays, our salary is the same," she states. In this regard, she complains that their salaries have fallen behind the rising cost of living in recent years. "Companies want to increase their profits and don't hesitate to cut staff to do so. There are fewer of us doing the same work," Atienza argues. This overexertion negatively impacts the health of the workers, both physically and psychologically, because there are more episodes of stress and anxiety. There are some cases, however, where collective bargaining has managed to make progress on these demands. Luis Díaz, general secretary of the union section for Caprabo's logistics warehouses in Catalonia, explains that, finally—after filing a lawsuit—they have reached an agreement with the Catalan supermarket chain to establish a fourth work shift at its Barcelona Port facility, including Sundays and holidays, with compensation of 108 euros and one day off. "We can't continue working for free and without being able to balance work and family life," he concludes.