Amazon's new logistics center, opened in 2023 in an industrial estate on the outskirts of Figueres, has revolutionized the Alt Empordà. It is, by far, the largest company in the region, ahead of major companies such as the supermarkets of Antonio Escudero in La Jonquera or the food giant supermarkets of Antonio Escudero in La Jonquera or the food giant Transgourmet. Around 2,000 people work day and night, a volume that represents more than 1% of the entire population of all municipalities within a 40 km radius. And, logically, this correlation between workers and inhabitants, much higher than that of any large company in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, causes everything surrounding Amazon's business to have a direct impact on the day-to-day life of the region.

The two majority unions, CCOO and UGT, have shown unity with concrete proposals on dismissals, housing, part-time contracts, and social dialogue and collective bargaining. This Tuesday, the two organizations have presented a joint plan around these matters that provides a boost for union action, especially on the eve of May Day, but which also serves as a "transmission belt" for those concerns affecting workers that, in the opinion of the union organizations, the political agenda marked by tension is not addressing. "We are facing an initiative [union] that has few precedents," indicated the Secretary of Union Action for CCOO, Javier Pacheco, at a press conference.

The Catalan government needs a budget to function properly. Currently, it is still operating under the extended 2023 budget, which severely limits the administration's room for maneuver and leaves it short of approximately €1.5 billion. This amount remains unused because new expenses or projects cannot be included due to the lack of a budget. This sum is equivalent to the annual allocation of departments such as the Department of Business and Labor or the Department of Universities and Research. The truth is, citizens deserve a government that operates with a budget that reflects the country's current needs, not figures that were based on the reality of three years ago. Furthermore, having a budget would allow the government to make the most of the resources generated by record tax revenues thanks to economic growth. This includes both taxes in which Catalonia participates, such as personal income tax (IRPF), and those collected directly and transferred to the government (inheritance and property transfer taxes) under the current financing system.

The last time Pedro Sánchez ratified an increase in the national minimum wage (SMI) was in 2020, from the Moncloa Palace, following an agreement with the major unions, CCOO and UGT, and the Spanish employers' associations, CEOE and Cepyme. Six years later, Sánchez has once again presided over another minimum wage increase. This time, he did so from the Ministry of Labor, alongside the Minister, Yolanda Díaz (Sumar), and the two union leaders, Unai Sordo (CCOO) and Pepe Álvarez (UGT), but without the employers' associations, with whom Sánchez did not hesitate to distance himself. The Spanish president criticized the employers' associations for withdrawing from the agreement to raise the SMI to €1,221 per month by 2026. "Where are the employers?" the Spanish president asked this Monday at the signing ceremony for the new increase. "It is unacceptable that in a context of economic prosperity, those earning the minimum wage are scrutinized while those earning a lot of money are not," Sánchez said. On the eve of negotiations between unions and employers to update the current agreement for employment and collective bargaining (AENC), the Spanish president endorsed the position. "Pay them more!""From Joe Biden four years ago. "Let them pay more," he said. "Let no one tell us that salaries can't be raised when profits grow, when the economy is advancing," Sánchez reiterated.

The gender pay gap is one of the clearest examples of inequality between men and women in the labor market. In Catalonia, this disparity resulted in women earning 16.75% less than men in 2023: the average annual earnings for men were €32,721.58, while for women it was €27,240.93. With these figures, the monthly difference amounts to €456.72 less for women. These are the latest available data explaining this structural phenomenon, presented in a report this Friday by the UGT (General Union of Workers) of Catalonia. The wage gap between men and women is greater in Catalonia than in Spain as a whole, where the gap stood at 15.74%.

Last year, 109 workers died in work-related accidents in Catalonia, a 22.5% increase compared to the previous year. Data from the Observatory of Labor and the Production Model sheds light on the trend of workplace accidents in 2025, a year in which the number of victims reached its highest level in the last 14 years. One has to go back to 2011, when 113 people died, to find a higher figure.

The Ministry of Labor and the UGT and CCOO unions, but not the employers' associations, have agreed this Thursday to raise the minimum interprofessional wage (SMI). 1,221 euros gross in 14 paymentsThis represents a 3.1% increase compared to 2025. It's a rise of 37 euros per month, as announced by the Secretary of State for Labor, Joaquín Pérez Rey. The Council of Ministers will soon approve the salary increase, which will be retroactive to January 1st of this year. The employers' associations CEOE and Cepyme have distanced themselves from the agreement and rejected the increase, as anticipated in the statement released Thursday morning, in which they labeled the tax deduction in corporate income tax for the companies most affected by the pay increase as "deceptive" and "interventionist." According to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and the unions agree that this salary level will remain exempt from personal income tax.

The General Secretary of the UGT union, Pepe Álvarez, warned the Spanish government this Thursday that they "will not sign any more agreements" if it does not fulfill its commitments to modify the timekeeping system and prevent the absorption and offsetting of bonuses for those earning the minimum wage (SMI). At a breakfast briefing to present UGT's proposals for the new year, Álvarez asserted that the approval of the decree reforming the timekeeping system is "absolutely a priority." He warned that he will not sign any agreements with the government "if it does not comply" and bring this legislation, which he said is currently "shelved," to the Council of Ministers. "There are hundreds of thousands of people who are being abused in relation to their working hours," he emphasized.

The Ministry of Labor has proposed a 3.1% increase in the national minimum wage (SMI) to social partners for 2026, maintaining this reference salary exempt from taxation. This would raise it from €1,184 to €1,221 gross per month, paid in 14 installments (an increase of €37). The Spanish employers' association and the major unions CCOO and UGT agreed to study the proposal, as explained at a press conference this Wednesday by the Secretary of State for Employment, Joaquín Pérez Rey, following the meeting between social partners to try to reach an agreement. The positions of the employers' and workers' representatives were quite far apart, as is usual when it comes to increasing the SMI. The unions wanted a 7.5% increase up to 1,273 euros per month, The employers' association CEOE lowered that figure to 1.5%.For its part, the committee of experts that advises the Spanish government In this matter, he proposed raising it by 37 euros per month (1,221 euros per month in 14 payments) by 2026 if it remained tax-exempt, or by 56 euros per month (up to 1,240 euros) if it were subject to income tax. Ultimately, the first option was chosen. Despite the disagreements between the different positions, after this latest meeting, Pérez Rey asserted that the dialogue between both parties was "sincere and very constructive." However, for now, neither unions nor employers have left the meeting with a yes or no to this proposal from the ministry led by Yolanda Díaz. The high-ranking official from the Ministry of Labor also expressed openness to "exploring" with the Treasury the possibility of "relaxing" the indexation rules related to the impact on public sector salaries. This was a recurring complaint from the employers' associations CEOE and Cepyme, who criticize the fact that with the latest increases in the minimum wage, it was necessary to update the bids in order to pass on this increase in labor costs to the administration, since they claim that this reduces the profitability of companies. The unions have also supported this review of prices in public contracts in line with any regulatory changes that may be approved, as outlined in the latest National Collective Bargaining Agreement (Agreement for Employment and Collective Bargaining, the state framework that serves as a guide in collective bargaining) approved in 2023. The Deputy Minister of Labor stated that it makes perfect sense that increases in the Minimum Wage (SMI) cannot be passed on to what companies charge the government for their services and mentioned sectors such as cleaning and private security, jobs with low wages closer to the minimum wage that have seen salary increases in recent years. "It's a matter of fairness," said the Deputy Minister. He also noted that the new European directive on minimum wages—which the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) almost fully endorsed last November—already requires member states to incorporate it. [BK_SLT_LNA~ Exempt from Personal Income Tax]

Regarding the exemption of the minimum wage from income tax, Pérez Rey explained that this position was agreed upon with the Ministry of Finance, which will be responsible for the technical implementation of this measure. However, the Ministry of Labor is confident that the "2025 approach" will be followed and the tax relief will be presented in terms similar to those agreed upon last year. "The minimum wage cannot lose even a tenth of a percent of its purchasing power; those who earn it should not be the ones who pay taxes. Tax justice begins with those who have the most, not those who have the least," Pérez Rey emphasized. The Spanish minimum wage has been one of the flagship measures of the Spanish coalition government—first with the PSOE and Podemos, and now with the Socialists and Sumar—which has increased it by 61% since taking office. "It is the main antidote to inequality. This is an increase that makes the difference between decent wages and those that are not," the Secretary of State for Labor asserted. Following the meeting, Fernando Luján, Deputy General Secretary for Trade Union Policy at UGT, and Javier Pacheco, Secretary for Trade Union Action at CCOO, described Wednesday's meeting as "positive" and welcomed the Spanish government's willingness to relax the law on the de-indexation of public contracts. Pacheco noted that although their proposed increase to the minimum wage for 2026 was 7.5 percent, the union "will not obstruct" reaching an agreement that guarantees this benchmark will reach 60 percent of the average net Spanish salary. He also celebrated that the increase is above the projected inflation rate of 2.8 percent for 2025. "We are living in times that require us all to pull together to provide reassurance," Luján stated.

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The 2026 budget is essential and must be agreed upon at all costs. The Catalan leaders of the CCOO and UGT unions, Belén López and Camil Ros, demanded this on Wednesday. New accounts for the Generalitat for next yearThrough a series of proposals that entail an increase in spending of approximately 3.6 billion euros, both organizations have called on left-wing political forces to reach an understanding and approve a budget that takes into account the needs of workers. It should be noted that the budget has been extended since 2023, although the government has made some adjustments through supplementary appropriations. Among their proposals, CCOO and UGT have prioritized the housing access crisis and demanded that policies aimed at this area reach 2% of Catalonia's GDP (combining investment from the Catalan government and the Spanish state). In this regard, they propose expanding the public housing stock to a minimum of 100,000 publicly owned properties designated for social rental (currently at 30,000) and increasing the number of subsidized housing units to 15%, reaching 450,000. According to the unions, this objective should be achieved through more intensive use of the right of first refusal (preferential acquisition rights granted by law to a person or entity to purchase a property before a third party), the purchase of vacant properties from banks, and the rehabilitation of properties currently underutilized. Both López and Ros also referred to more interventionist measures such as the application of caps on rental market prices. These housing policies would entail an expenditure of 250 million euros in the upcoming budget. "Catalonia needs a budget, and it needs it now. This slogan of shared prosperity that President [Illa] keeps repeating must become a reality," argued López, from CCOO. Another priority identified by the unions is the improvement of public transportation, infrastructure that "conditions the daily lives of the working class," and for which they propose allocating an additional 465 million euros. For example, they propose the creation of a Catalan high-speed rail network, maintaining current discounts on transport passes, and implementing the T-Mobilitat travel card throughout Catalonia.

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The 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.

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The Ministry of Public Administration and the unions UGT and CSIF – CCOO is awaiting approval from its internal bodies – reached a multi-year agreement Wednesday night to raise the salaries of more than three million civil servants by 11% between 2025 and 2028. This increase will be distributed in two stages: 1.5% in 2026, with an additional variable of 0.5% linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI); 4.5% in 2027; and 2% in 2028, according to union sources. This year's 2.5% salary increase for employees across various administrations will be paid in December, with retroactive effect from January 1st. For 2026, the agreement stipulates a fixed salary increase of 1.5%, with an additional half percentage point if year-end inflation equals or exceeds the 1.5% fixed increase. If this occurs, the extra 0.5% will be paid retroactively in the first quarter of 2027. All subsequent years will only have a fixed component. Although the agreed-upon increase for the period 2025-2028 is 11%, unions estimate that the cumulative salary increase for public employees over these four years will approach 11.5%, due to the carryover effect of consolidating annual increases in the salary scales. The agreement also incorporates various improvements to civil servants' working conditions, such as the elimination of the replacement rate, streamlining of selection processes, and increased staffing for public service positions, among others. This agreement between the ministry and the unions was reached after another meeting, the second this week, between the Secretary of State for Public Administration, Consuelo Sánchez Naranjo, and representatives from CCOO, UGT, and CSIF.

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The two largest unions are making moves in preparation for an increase in the national minimum wage (SMI) in 2026. CCOO and UGT have formalized their proposal for negotiations with the Spanish government and employers: a 7.5% increase in the SMI, to €1,273 gross per month. This increase represents an €89 raise over the current minimum wage, which stands at €1,184 gross per month paid in fourteen installments, as detailed by Javier Pacheco, Secretary of Union Action for CCOO, and Fernando Luján, Secretary General of Union Policy for UGT, at a press conference this Tuesday. Both union representatives argued that the SMI increase for 2026 must be "substantial and substantial." According to the unions, despite being subject to income tax (IRPF), with a 7.5% increase, those receiving the minimum wage would still earn the equivalent of 60% of the average net salary, which is the benchmark established by the European Social Charter and the commitment of the Spanish government. "We say that 60% should be calculated on gross salaries [...]. This 7.5% increase is less than how business profit margins have increased this year," Luján argued. The income tax (IRPF) already dictated the 2025 increase. While the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, rejected the idea of the minimum wage being taxed under this levy, the Ministry of Finance, headed by María Jesús Montero, defended it. Ultimately, the battle ended with a deduction for minimum wage earners so they wouldn't have to pay income tax. Looking ahead to 2026, Díaz has asked the committee of experts on the minimum wage to put forward two proposals: one for an increase subject to income tax (IRPF), and another in which minimum wage earners remain exempt from this tax. However, the committee has not yet released its proposal. Díaz asserted this Tuesday that the minimum wage will increase "significantly" in 2026 if the Spanish government, or "a part of it"—referring to the Treasury—decides that it will be subject to income tax (IRPF).

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Another closure in Catalan industry. The UGT union denounced on Friday that the Japanese company Hi-Lex has announced the closure of its plant in Granollers and filed for a collective dismissal procedure (ERE) to lay off its 67 workers. In response, the workforce has begun an indefinite strike to show its "outright rejection" of the multinational's decision. According to the union, the closure of the factory in the Vallès region is not due to objective reasons, but rather is a "disguised relocation." "During the consultation period, the works council and the union organizations have confirmed that management has acted in bad faith, maintained an inflexible position, and demonstrated that the decision had already been made long before its official announcement," UGT criticized.

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After two and a half years shelved, the Intern Statute will finally reach the Council of Ministers this Tuesday as a draft bill, according to reports. The Country and the ARA has been able to confirm. The Ministry of Labor of Sumar In June 2023, it announced an agreement with the UGT and CCOO unions. To push through this new legal framework for student internships, the measure was halted by the snap election and has remained stalled due to disagreements with business leaders and university rectors. It was further complicated by the misgivings of the Ministry of Economy (PSOE), which considered the text "too preliminary."

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"Either he sits down to negotiate or there will be a general strike." This is the message that the main unions representing public sector workers—CCOO, UGT, and CSIF—sent to the Minister of Labor, Óscar López, after holding a demonstration this Thursday morning in front of the ministry headquarters in Madrid. Public sector workers have been demonstrating throughout Spain to demand "quality public services, salary increases, more public sector jobs, and improved working conditions" for 3.5 million public employees. For now, the unions have achieved one of their main demands, essential for reaching an agreement: unblocking negotiations. After months of trying to reopen talks, the ministry has agreed to hold a first meeting on November 5. "The deterioration of the public sector is causing undesirable situations, which translate into a greater social response. We see this in healthcare, education, social services, the justice system, and other strategic sectors, as well as in the daily management of essential public services," the unions said in a statement.

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Metalworkers in the Barcelona area again blocked several roads this morning in protest against the breakdown of negotiations with employers regarding a new collective agreement. The C-25 highway between Sant Fruitós de Bages and Sallent is closed due to a demonstration in both directions, causing a kilometer-long traffic jam, according to the Catalan Traffic Service (SCT). There were also blockades due to protests on the Cornellà and Hospitalet de Llobregat exits of the C-32 highway in both directions, and on exit 18B of the Ronda Litoral ring road in Marbarna, heading towards Besòs. This is the second consecutive morning that the metal sector has organized blockades as part of the two-day strike called in response to the conflict with employers. On Wednesday, workers already blocked some of the main access routes to Barcelona, ​​such as the ring roads, causing long traffic jams. They also blocked access to industrial parks in the Baix Llobregat and Vallès Oriental and Occidental regions. "The strike has been a success. The largest companies and industrial parks have been paralyzed," union sources explained to ARA. The protest was also observed on Monday at plants such as the Ebro automotive plant in the Zona Franca and the Ficosa plant in Viladecavalls, and the same sources confirmed that it was also noticeable at the Seat facilities in Martorell. Workers in the metal sector—nearly 200,000 employees were called to participate in the strike—also protested in front of the Foment de Treball headquarters on Via Laietana in Barcelona to pressure for improvements to their collective bargaining agreement. Wages in accordance with the CPI

One of the main points of contention between unions and employers in reaching an agreement is wages. Employers—through the Metalworkers' Union (UPM)—are proposing a 3% wage increase this year, 2.75% in 2026, and 2.5% in 2027. In contrast, workers' representatives believe the increases should be 3.9% this year, followed by 3% in 2027. "Their proposals, focused on compensation and wage absorption, cut acquired rights and block necessary improvements for all workers in the sector," says the UGT union. Beyond ensuring that wages are linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the unions also want to prevent the elimination of paid leave and the denial of reduced working hours to some employees. "This attitude is unacceptable, especially in a context of strong business results," they argue. UPM maintains that its latest proposal is "balanced" and should have been enough to call off this week's strike.

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When unions and companies negotiate wage increases within a collective bargaining agreement, there is never a single, automatic formula. This back-and-forth combines different criteria and can contribute, for example, to the fact that the company in question has increased its profits, that its sector is experiencing growth, or that the workforce is exerting pressure through protests and strikes.

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How long does it take you every day to travel to and from work? The time we spend commuting can vary greatly depending on our circumstances and factors such as the state of public transport or access to a private vehicle. A study by the Catalan University of Transport (UGT) published this Tuesday puts the numbers on the table: on average, Catalans spend 4.3 hours per week commuting to and from work, around 200 hours a year. Still, in some extreme cases, this calculation can reach over 13 hours per week, when it comes to workers who have to take the local train to leave their area.

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The majority unions, CCOO and UGT, mobilized this Wednesday in the last attempt to prevent the Popular Party (PP), Vox, and Junts from completely defeating the processing in Congress of the bill to reduce the working week to 37.5 hours a week. They did so with a series of calls throughout the State this morning and a protest in the afternoon in the Plaza de las Corts in Madrid, next to the Spanish lower house. If there is no last-minute change, the votes against these three parties will block the measure. Even so, the union organizations have made it clear that this will not make them give in and that the flagship proposal of the second vice president of the Spanish government, Yolanda Díaz, will end up being approved this term.

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