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Diario Euskadi

Álava Provincial Council and Firefighters Reach Preliminary Labor Agreement

After two years of intense negotiations, the Álava Provincial Council and firefighters have reached a preliminary agreement for the first regulatory framework of their working conditions.

Generic image of two hands shaking over a desk with warm office lighting.
IA

Generic image of two hands shaking over a desk with warm office lighting.

The prolonged labor dispute that has kept the Autonomous Organization of Firefighters of Álava on edge appears to be nearing its end with the announcement of a preliminary agreement.

Following two years of intense negotiations, the Álava Provincial Council and its firefighters have reached a preliminary agreement for what will be the first regulatory framework governing working conditions since the body's inception. Iñaki Gurtubai, the Provincial Deputy for Equality, Basque Language, and Governance, announced this milestone, which aims to conclude a decade of extensions and legal disputes.
During the control plenary session at the General Assemblies, Gurtubai detailed that the text not only has the approval of the provincial executive but has also been agreed upon with all trade union organizations. The document, which seeks to address the structural demands of the firefighters, is currently in the internal processing phase. However, final ratification rests with the professionals themselves, who will vote next Monday, April 20, on whether to accept the terms of the agreement.
Beyond the agreement, the deputy highlighted significant progress in modernizing the service to comply with the Firefighters Law. To this end, the Provincial Council has confirmed the creation of six new sergeant positions this year, adding to the six created in 2025, with the goal of filling them before the end of the fiscal year.
Furthermore, Gurtubai confirmed a majority agreement for a new job bank regulation, which will be published imminently and will allow for more agile management of substitutions and temporary position coverage. The PNV deputy also acknowledged the work of Jone Berriozabal during her tenure at the head of the department, linking the current success to the dialogue strategy initiated under her command.
The firefighters' demands focused on stabilizing the workforce and updating their working conditions, which had been stagnant under an expired agreement for nearly a decade. They reported a chronic shortage of personnel that forced minimum services, jeopardizing both their safety and the effectiveness of the service in Álava. This precariousness led to protests against "impositions" of availability on rest days and the demand for a professionalized command structure that complied with current regulations, as well as transparency in Public Employment Offers (OPE) to rejuvenate the corps and reduce temporary employment.

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