Overview
- Workers in Galicia staged a region-wide strike that union leaders described as near total in A Coruña, closing most large fashion stores except some Inditex locations and drawing support from tens of thousands employed in the sector.
- At the center of the dispute is a preagreement for large retail chains signed by the new employers’ group ARTE with CC OO and Fetico, which would take effect where provincial agreements have expired, a situation that now covers all Galician provinces.
- Opponents led by the CIG warn the state text would cut annual pay by about €2,000 to €3,000 for many workers in A Coruña and Pontevedra, erase seniority and permanence bonuses in several provinces, and loosen rules on schedules and weekend work.
- ARTE argues the framework lifts pay and modernizes work rules for big fashion retailers, while Inditex says its company deals already sit above both the provincial pacts and the proposed national terms.
- In a bid to preserve stronger local conditions, negotiators in Pontevedra said they expect to sign a near-final provincial agreement on April 22 that they want published quickly so it prevails over the state pact.