Last Friday, the shareholders' meeting of Parlem approved a critical shareholding change for the company. The Catalan telecom company approved a restructuring of its debt that leaves the majority of the capital in the hands of the Inveready fund and the Malaga family that owns Mayoral, through its holding company Global Portfolio Investments. Specifically, with the change approved by the board, Inveready, which held around 8% of the capital, will become the main shareholder with 49%, after converting outstanding debt into shares. Furthermore, Global Portfolio Investments is expected to participate strongly in a capital increase worth 7.95 million euros to maintain its weight in the shareholding.

The return of hostilities in the Middle East has put an end to the calm in the region. And also that of the markets, especially energy. Since the war in Iran began, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has jeopardized European supplies, and this has sent fuel prices soaring. And now the value of oil and natural gas is rising again after a few calmer weeks.

Countdown to the end of the Parlem series. On Friday, August 7, the telecommunications company will organize an extraordinary meeting of key shareholders for the future of the Catalan company. Three points will be discussed: an imminent debt capitalization, a capital increase, and the entry of six new members into its leadership. The approval of these three points would mean a change in the shareholding majorities of the teleco and, as ARA has been able to find out, everything indicates that this will be the case.

"Unpaid overtime is an endemic fraud in our society." A study prepared by the Comissions Obreres de Catalunya (CCOO) trade union quantifies the volume of extra hours worked by Catalans. It also points to a sharp increase in recent years: while in 2019 workers put in an average of 791,000 overtime hours per week, in the first quarter of this year the volume has risen to 1.02 million, representing an increase of 29.3%.

Unemployment falls sharply in Catalonia during the second quarter of the year. According to the active population survey (EPA) published this Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the Catalan unemployment rate stands at 7.9%, after rising to 10.12% during the first quarter of the year. Thus, the statistic returns to the level of the fourth quarter of 2024, when unemployment hit lows. However, to find a better second quarter, we must go back to 2008. "All the data is good," assured the Secretary of Labor of the Government, Paco Ramos.

Green light for an agreement to end the negotiations on the employment regulation file (ERO) presented by Leche Pascual at its Gurb plant, in Osona. As reported by Col·lectiu Ronda —the cooperative of lawyers who advised the workers during the process—, on Friday night the staff voted favorably on an agreement to terminate the 86 jobs at the plant.

The Catalan car manufacturer Seat is experiencing a sweet moment amidst a complicated period for its parent company, the German group Volkswagen, which is considering severe staff cuts. Between January and June, the Martorell-based company tripled its operating profit, reaching 122 million euros, as reported this Friday in a statement.

"Sabadell's revenues are going like a shot". Marc Armengol presented this Friday his first accounts as CEO of the Catalan bank, in which the entity obtained a net profit of 971 million euros in the first half of the year, 0.5% less than the previous year. It should be noted that the results still include the contribution of the British subsidiary TSB, which changed hands in May and now belongs to Santander.

Key days for the future of the 86 workers who make up the Leche Pascual workforce in Gurb (Osona). After the Castilian company sealed the sale of the plant to the Catalan Casa Tarradellas, the dairy company's factory has been partially dismantled for months and the handover will take place on July 31. However, the workers' future remains uncertain: although there has been talk of an eventual incorporation into Casa Tarradellas, currently the buyer's offers do not convince the staff, as the conditions they propose are not precise enough. remains uncertain: while an eventual incorporation into Casa Tarradellas has been discussed, currently the buyer's offers do not convince the staff, as the conditions they propose are not precise enough.

During 2025, Catalans filed 4,798 complaints with the Bank of Spain. The figure – representing 15.4% of the total claims made in the State – is 55% lower than the claims made a year earlier, in 2024. This sharp decrease returns the statistics to their usual pace: as the Bank of Spain explained this Tuesday, 2024 was a year of "extraordinary" activity due to the Supreme Court's ruling on undue mortgage expenses.

For holidays, as we have more free time, the hours we spend in front of screens tend to increase. And more time on our mobile or computer also means being more exposed to the dangers of the internet, such as fraud or scams. For this reason, as explained by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), it is important to keep three basic tips in mind: messages from unknown origins should not be opened, one should be wary of bargains and alarmist messages, and it should be taken into account that no company or bank asks for banking details via phone, email, or text message.

Increase productivity. The Government sets this as a priority in order to continue growing the Catalan economy. In the annual report published by the Department of Economy and Finance, the Generalitat points out that "despite the intense process of accumulation of physical capital and labor", the per capita income of the country is growing "more weakly than the European Union average over the last quarter of a century". "This paradox therefore points to an inefficient evolution of productivity", indicates the study, which recognizes that total factor productivity (TFP) – the reference indicator for measuring productivity – "shows a worse trajectory" than that observed in the European Union.

The Catalan economy maintains its positive trend –with an employment rate close to the historical maximum and growth higher than that of the European Union as a whole–, but the well-being of Catalans is not progressing at the same pace. As warned by the Council of Labour, Economy and Social Affairs of Catalonia (CTESC), the stagnation of productivity, difficulties in accessing housing, and the persistence of inequalities "condition the country's development potential" and "limit the opportunities of many people".

The Chamber of Contractors of Public Works of Catalonia notes a "loss of dynamism" in public contracting which, as they assure, "keeps the tendered volume far from the levels that would be necessary to reduce the accumulated deficit in infrastructure investment". In its quarterly report on tenders in Catalonia, the entity points to a "stalemate": between January and June, 1,714.1 million euros have been tendered, which represents an increase of 2.1% compared to the same period in 2025.

"It's a cancer we can't afford". The words of Alberto Núñez Feijóo have once again placed workplace absenteeism in the spotlight. But, despite it being true that people who miss work – for both justified and unjustified reasons – are at historic highs in Spanish territory, what is the situation in Spain compared to the rest of European countries? The answer is unclear, as each country counts absenteeism differently: while all agree that to measure absenteeism, worked hours must be calculated in comparison to agreed hours, the differences arise when defining what is actually agreed. An example of this semantic discussion can be found in maternity leave. In Spain, these are included in the calculation, while in other countries, such as Germany, they are considered not to be hours attributable to the workers.

The Volkswagen Group is experiencing a severe crisis and is preparing to transform itself. Europe's leading car manufacturer convened the twenty members of its supervisory board this Thursday to discuss the restructuring plan designed by the company's CEO, Oliver Blume. Although the details discussed at the meeting are still unknown, according to a statement from the group, its plans include halving the range of its models. Currently, across all brands, Volkswagen's vehicle range is configured with around 150 models.

“We want our first words to be a remembrance-homage to the workers murdered, imprisoned, and repressed by fascism, for their struggle for union freedom, democratic and national freedoms, for our rights and class interests”. On July 11, 1976, one week after the fall of Carlos Arias Navarro's government, more than 600 workers from all over Spain gathered at the Sant Medir church in Barcelona to celebrate what was the last clandestine national assembly of the Workers' Commissions (CCOO). A church was chosen as the meeting point because it was the only place where the right to assemble was permitted.

The German automotive group Volkswagen reported this Thursday that it will reduce its production capacities by 25% to 9 million vehicles annually to adapt them to the global market situation and increased competition. The company, which has an installed capacity of 12 million vehicles, will also gradually reduce the supply of its car models by up to 50%, concentrating on the most attractive market segments. Currently, the group is configured with around 150 models, across all brands.

The automotive sector is undergoing a major transformation in Europe, and its effects are shaking the continent's major companies. Faced with this scenario, the giant Volkswagen has begun to draw up a restructuring plan that foresees cutting up to 100,000 jobs worldwide and also includes the closure of four plants located in Germany, as reported last week by the German media "Manager Magazin". This situation has set off alarms in Martorell: the Seat plant – a subsidiary of the German multinational – could be affected and, as company sources explain to the ARA, there is a feeling among the workforce that this will be the case, whether directly or indirectly.

Affiliates in Catalonia surpassed the 4 million mark for the first time. Specifically, according to data released this Thursday by the Ministry of Social Security, 4.01 million Catalans were registered as employed in June. Thus, compared to May, there are 37,053 more affiliates in the country, which is equivalent to an increase of 0.93%. The boost from the start of the summer campaign has thus driven the Catalan labor market to a new record; until now, it had been above 3.9 million workers for two months. Looking at the data from a year ago, the year-on-year change is also positive, at 2.63%, which translates to 102,763 more workers.