Environment/Climate Change, Central government, Spain

(July 2016) The secretary of state with responsibility for public administration has acknowledged the need to resume social dialogue on working conditions. The FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT trade union federations have made clear some of their main aims in such negotiations. They want to see adequate funding for public sector jobs along with contracts that provide stability and continuity. They also want to start recuperating the cuts imposed in recent years inlcuding the 5% cut in salary from 2010, a return to the 35-hour week and an end to the replacement rate limiting the number of leavers who are

(August 2016) The public sector federations of the CCOO and UGT confederations have set out some key collective bargaining demands. The CCOO federations put their proposals to the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration at the end of July calling for a re-establishment of collective bargaining, creation of 356000 jobs and an end to restrictions on recruitment. They also want to see a recovery of purchasing power for public sector workers, a return to the 35-hour week and recuperation of other cuts to pay and conditions made since 2010. The FeSP-UGT federation demands include a 3% pay

(September 2016) The FeSP-UGT public services federation has called on the interim government to open negotiations with trade unions to ensure that the law setting out the budget for 2017 includes provisions for increased employment and a pay rise for public sector workers. The federation says that urgent action is needed to fill vacancies, take on temporary staff on permament contracts and reinstate the 170000 jobs cut since 2011. It is also arguing for a 3% pay increase in line with overall economic growth. Read more at FeSP-UGT (ES).

(February 2017) The main public sector federations of CCOO and UGT, along with the CSIF federation, met with the ministers of finance and public administration on 14 February with the government indicating its willingness to negotiate. The unions listed their priorities for the coming negotations underling the need to clearly re-establish the right to collective bargaining, to gradually recoup the purchasing power of workers lost over the years since the crisis and to boost public employment by filling the 365000 vacancies that are part of the budgeted establishment.

(March 2017) The public sector federations in the CCOO and UGT confederations, along with the CSIF union organisation, have presented their key negotiating demands to the minister of finance and public service. The unions are underlining the important of re-establishing a proper process of social dialogue and are focusing on three central demands - the recuperation of lost purchasing power and negotiation of pay increases, an increase in employment and measures to reduce temporary employment and a restoration of other conditions lost as a result of austerity.

(April 2017) Public sector trade union federations have signed an historic agreement with the government that will see a massive reduction in precarious employment across the public sector. The deal means that over 300000 workers currently on some form of fixed-term employment will have the chance to move onto a permanent contract over the next three years. This is the result of the first major negotiations with the government since 2010. The unions underlined that they are still looking for an agreement on pay increases over the coming years that will compensate for the 15% loss of purchasing

(May 2017) The public sector federations of the CCOO and UGT unions are planning a series of actions in protest at the government's failure to engage in a proper process of collective bargaining in the state administration. The unions want to see a number of major issues addressed including the loss of purchasing power of public employees, the threat to services from job cuts and privatisation and the restoration of other rights reduced as a result of austerity measures. The first action is planned for 1 June with a demonstration outside the directorate of public service.

(June 2017) Embassy, tourist office and other international staff around the world are taking strike action to secure pay rises and end a long-term pay freeze that has seen wages in some countries fall to below national minima. Unions are looking for a 20% pay increase, arguing that in some countries inflation has meant a 40% loss of purchasing power for some workers. Action has taken place or is planned in several countries including Canada, Sweden, the United States and Argentina.

(July 2017) Following an action at the beginning of June in Madrid, the public service federations FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT, mobilised their members in Valladolid on 23rd June. This is the latest stage in a series of protests planned by the unions that will continue until negotiations are underway in public administration and the unions can set out their key demands on pay, hours, jobs and the other rights that public service workers have lost as a result of austerity measures.

Workers employed in the Agency for International Co-operation for Development (AECID) took strike action on 8 September in protest over pay and conditions. Around 40% of staff have either left or are thinking of leaving the service because of deteriorating conditions pay frozen since 2009 and eroded by inflation and currency fluctuations. This has left some workers as much as 60% worse off in real terms. Unlike workers in other overseas departments AECID employees don't get any protection against local changes in the cost of living and this is the key demand of the strike.

The main public sector unions in the CCOO and UGT confederations are calling on the government to improve its pay offer for the next three years. The current offer provides a guarantee for a 5.34% increase (1.5% in 2018, 1.75% in 2019 and 2.0% in 2020). However, this could reach 8% overall if target growth in economic output (GDP) is reached, along with a further target for deficit reduction. The unions want to see guaranteed increases that would begin to make up for the significant loss of purchasing power of public sector workers. The unions also want to see progress on working hours and an

The FSC-CCOO and FeSP-UGT public service federations have called a strike on 16 October involving workers in the government's overseas services. The strike is in protest at the freezing of salaries for the 7000 workers in the service and increasingly precarious employment conditions. The unions say that the strike is necessary as there has been no response to their demands since a meeting a meeting in June and despite a number of other protests and actions so far in 2017.

The FeSP-UGT and CCOO federations in the public sector have come together to launch a campaign to get the government to negotiate over employment in the public sector and to adjust the budget for 2018 to begin to tackle the staffing crisis. The unions point out that not only have 350000 public sector jobs been cut since 2010 but the problem is being compounded by an ageing workforce. In social security, for example, around 48% of staff are set to retire over the next 10 years. The unions also want to ensure implementation of the agreement signed earlier this year to reduce the number of

The public service federations of the CCOO and UGT confederations organised a joint mobilisation of public administration workers on 29 November as part of their campaign for increased pay, more jobs and a return of rights lost during austerity. This followed a public-sector wide demonstration on 24 November with plans for further action on 14 December. The unions argue that services are under threat as 14% of jobs have been cut and reduced recruitment has created an ageing workforce where half are over 50. Since the 5% pay cut in 2010 there has been only a single pay increase of 1% while

Around 10000 workers joined a demonstration in Madrid on 14 December called by the CCOO and UGT trade unions as part of their campaign to win back rights for the three million public sector workers who have been hit by austerity measures. Public services have been hit by job cuts while workers have seen their hours increased and pay fall by 13% in real terms since 2010. EPSU president Isolde Kunkel-Weber joined the march and expressed solidarity on behalf of EPSU.