STRIKE IN THE SPANISH CANNING SECTOR

The Spanish canned fish industry is on strike. The strike has been called by the trade unions UGT, CC. OO. and CIG in view of the disagreement in the negotiation of the state collective bargaining agreement. Among the demands of the union employers is a CPI increase in the collective bargaining agreement, as well as an improvement in equality. In total, they are called to support the strike. on February 3 and 4, nearly 30,000 workers from 700 companies throughout Spain.

The strike affects factories throughout the country, but will have a special impact in Cantabria and Galicia, which are governed by the state agreement, since in provinces such as Vizcaya and Huelva the agreements are provincial. Among the demands, the unions have requested that salaries include a wage revision clause linked to the CPI, and another demand refers to equalizing groups 5 and 6 in this sector, which would put an end to discrimination between men and women, since female workers are in a lower category.

This is the first strike in decades in the Spanish seafood processing sector and the reason is the discrepancy between the Feicopesca employers’ association (in which Anfaco is integrated) and the unions in the negotiation of the state agreement, which began a year ago and affects the years between 2021 and 2024. The unions consider the employers’ offer insufficient to guarantee workers’ purchasing power. However, the employers want to avoid confrontation and will remain open to dialogue.