According to the LAB union, the European Works Council of the CAF Group will be formed by the end of April, after two years of negotiations that failed to reach a consensus among all parties. The union has attributed the lack of agreement to the “intransigence” of the company's management and the “attitude of prioritizing corporate interests” of the CCOO union.
Aitor Martinez, LAB representative in Beasain, and Daniel Quintana, CAF TE delegate, have stated that the council will be constituted according to minimum legal regulations. LAB has demanded that “the composition of the CAF Group's European Council guarantee the weight corresponding to reality,” denouncing the non-acceptance of proper representation for workers in Euskal Herria and the desire of some unions to create a professionalized and exclusionary forum.
“"With 2,000 workers, they have the same representation as our 5,000 workers; Euskal Herria has no recognition."
The union has criticized that, despite the millionaire profits obtained by CAF in 2025, this has not been reflected in the workers' labor conditions. Therefore, it has urged management to improve and unify working conditions, highlighting the differences between the group's companies. According to LAB data, CAF has approximately 5,500 employees in Euskal Herria, distributed among eighteen companies, but working conditions are very disparate, both in working hours and salaries, among other aspects.
Likewise, LAB representatives have expressed their full support and solidarity with the CAF TE workers in Lebario, Gasteiz, and Sopela, who continue their indefinite strike. Daniel Quintana emphasized that, despite three weeks of strike, the company has not contacted the workforce, and negotiations remain blocked.
