The third sector of Catalonia is going on strike to demand wage equalization

BarcelonaThe workers in the third social sector are called this Wednesday to a 24-hour strike –called by the majority unions CCOO and UGT– to claim salary parity with staff hired by public administration. The protest is the first act of mobilization, as 15-minute partial stoppages are planned at workplaces on Wednesdays, July 15 and 29, 2026.

At the center of the conflict is the sectoral agreement that the Department of Social Rights, the unions, and the employers' association signed on May 6, which stipulates that the salary gap between both groups will be reduced in the next four years. The difference averages 37% in favor of civil servants and labor personnel, although in areas such as residences it doubles to 66%, according to data from the Generalitat.

Through this agreement, the Generalitat commits to gradually ensuring the salary parity of 120,000 workers, hired by social enterprises and non-profit foundations subcontracted by the administration. For this, the Government will invest 150 million euros annually until 2030, on the condition that this extra money goes entirely to staff salaries.

However, the unions accuse La Confederació (the employers' association of the third sector) of allocating funds to finance other company services, thus breaking the pact reached by both parties. Among the demands, therefore, is that 100% of the budget transferred for salary parity reaches salaries directly, without caps or double scales.

Male violence, excluded from the agreement

Within this framework of negotiations, the workers of the network against gender-based violence denounce that they are left out of the agreement, as they depend on the Department of Equality and Feminism and not on the Department of Social Rights, which is the one that has signed the pact. Last May, the Generalitat calculated that the staff of these services would benefit, but in reality, they have not achieved any improvement, assure the professionals. "Equality of labor rights cannot depend on the administrative structure that manages each service," they complain, and qualify their situation as "discrimination." At this point, they demand that the department directed by Eva Menor position itself publicly and get involved to include these services in the agreement.