Business and unions take step toward deal on collective agreements
But agreement unlikely to be signed before May 22 local elections
A meeting Thursday saw employers' groups and the labor unions take one step closer to sealing a deal on collective bargaining agreements but the signing of a final reform package is not likely to take place until after the May 22 local and regional elections.
According to the leaders of the UGT and CCOO unions, Cándido Méndez and Ignacio Fernández Toxo, the new framework will stipulate time limits for the negotiation of new collective agreements as well as dealing with absenteeism, among other issues. But the labor leaders said Thursday that there would be no reference to salaries in the final text.
Business representatives and the unions have been engaged in protracted talks aimed at overhauling the current model, which indexes wage rises to inflation. The aim is to make the system more flexible, in order to avoid an inflationary spiral and make the job market more competitive.
