This morning, Tubacex employee representatives and management held a meeting where they gave the green light to a new collective agreement. The multinational had set a deadline until today for the unions to respond to its proposal, and three of them (ELA, STAT, and CCOO) met with their affiliates to vote on the proposal.
Members of the three organizations have approved the company's proposal, meaning a new collective agreement will be in effect until 2029. A significant point in the negotiations was that all layoffs were halted after the 2021 strike, but wages remained frozen, and the CPI has increased significantly since then.
To offset the loss of purchasing power, the company has proposed an extraordinary payment of 2,000 euros this year to compensate for previous years' losses. Additionally, it has offered to pay the CPI plus 1.75% in 2025 and the CPI plus 0.5% between 2026 and 2029.
In terms of investments and production, Tubacex has proposed that 80% of the order to be made for Abu Dhabi be produced in Aiaraldea, and that 1% of the previous year's turnover be invested in local plants.
“"The presented proposal aims to sell economic improvements, but in reality, they do not compensate for the loss of purchasing power accumulated in recent years, and they fall far short of what the workforce has lost. And all this without real progress on fundamental issues: social rights, mobility limits, or employment guarantees."
The only union that has opposed the agreement is LAB. The central has accused the company of blackmail and of rushing to reach an agreement after blocking negotiations for a year and a half. In recent months, workers have carried out strikes to demand a dignified collective agreement.
