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.

1,882 days, equivalent to five years and two months. This is the time a Catalan worker will have to wait before the trial for their dismissal begins. And it is not an isolated case: according to a report prepared by the UGT of Catalonia, among all dismissal cases that exceed six months of waiting – a time that the union considers "acceptable" for proceedings to begin – they are, on average, extended by 574 days, that is, one year and seven months. With the data from the study – which collects 1,499 cases – the UGT has denounced the delay that workers suffer once they initiate a lawsuit.

The Volkswagen Group foresees more layoffs. If last March the company announced that it would cut around 50,000 jobs in Germany, the German media Manager Magazin reported this Friday that the group plans to reduce 100,000 workers worldwide in the next five years. In addition, the group also has in mind closing up to four plants in the Germanic country – Hannover, Zwickau, Emden, and Neckarsulm – and reducing its investments by 15%, to approximately 130 billion euros. Currently, Volkswagen's workforce is around 625,000 employees. Thus, if the staff reduction goes ahead, it could affect one in six employees of the Wolfsburg company.

Access to housing is one of the main concerns of citizens, and its high prices translate into a strong impact on pockets. According to the Household Budget Survey of the National Statistics Institute (INE), housing-related expenses were those that grew the most during the past year (+5.8%), and already represent 33.2% of families' budgets.

Ebro presented this Monday morning its new production line at the Zona Franca plant. With the so-called M1, which has been operational since the beginning of the year, the company can triple its previous production: while the M0 – shorter and with fewer processes – allows manufacturing 6 cars per hour, the new line will be able to manufacture up to 20 vehicles in the same time. However, for now, its productivity will not be exploited at 100% and, as explained by the president of Ebro EV Motors, Rafael Ruiz, it will be expanded as demand increases. Specifically, currently, on the M1 – where models s400 and s700 are produced – only one shift is working, while on the M0 – where s800 and s900 are made – two shifts are working. If the new line were open 24 hours – which would be equivalent to three shifts – it would be capable of producing up to 130,000 vehicles per year.

“Industry must reach 25% of GDP". It has been more than a decade since different Catalan executives have set out to boost the country's industrial sector again. The data, however, indicate that far from achieving the expected growth, the weight of industry in our economy is stagnant: since the beginning of the great crisis of 2008, its contribution has remained around 17% of the total. The last major effort, in fact, was staged this past week. On Monday, Salvador Illa and Miquel Sàmper, along with employers' associations and unions, sealed the new National Pact for Industry (PNI), which foresees investing a minimum of 4,463 million euros in the sector in the next four years.

The Catalan paper group Miquel y Costas presented this Thursday its new investment plan worth 130 million euros until 2029. Specifically, as the industrial company has detailed, over the next three years it will allocate up to 47 million euros to technological improvements in the production process. The group also plans to allocate 33 million to infrastructure, 30 million to sustainability, and 20 million to automation and digitization of processes. Among all the planned investments, the opening of two biomass plants in Catalonia stands out.

The Catalan company Parlem Telecom is resorting to a restructuring expert to facilitate negotiations with its creditors. As the company communicated this Wednesday to BME Growth (the SME stock exchange), the move comes after, in separate proceedings, both the company itself and several creditors requested the Barcelona Court of First Instance, Commercial Section, to appoint an independent figure to find a way to deal with existing short-term debts. The firm tasked with carrying out the work, as designated by the court, will be AGM Administracions Concursals i Reestructuracions, which had been proposed by the company, not by the creditors, who preferred another agent. Sources close to the Catalan company have welcomed the fact that the third parties' proposal has been rejected.

“More industry, but, above all, of better quality”: Salvador Illa and the country's main economic agents have sealed this Monday the new National Pact for Industry. The roadmap until 2030 foresees an investment of almost 4,500 million euros in 190 actions comprised in five major areas, such as innovation or employment. During his speech, the President of the Generalitat emphasized that the agreement "is not a sectoral pact" but a "national and future pact". The text has been agreed with the two main employers' associations in the territory, Foment del Treball and Pimec, and the two majority trade unions, Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and UGT. The objective: that by 2030 industry represents 25% of Catalonia's gross domestic product (GDP), the macroeconomic indicator that measures the monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a territory.