The workers' representatives had put forward a partial agreement to resolve some of the most urgent issues and keep negotiations on the rest of the agreement open, with at least two meetings a week during those two weeks. The proposal included shifts of between seven and eight hours and a maximum of 215 working days a year. It also included specific rules for split shifts, which would begin between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m., with a €15 allowance and an additional payment as compensation.
According to the unions, management's "rejection" keeps the labor dispute alive and rules out the possibility of delaying the mobilizations. The committee believes the company's alternative, which maintains shifts of up to eight and a half hours, does not solve the problem of extended working hours or address staff concerns about fatigue and safety. The workers' representatives say the proposal was intended to avoid inconvenience for users and facilitate an agreement without giving up their other demands.
PARTIAL STRIKES WILL BEGIN DURING RUSH HOUR
The strike will begin on Monday with a two-hour stoppage, from 6:45 to 8:45 a.m., during the morning rush hour. The schedule unanimously approved by the committee includes 21 partial stoppages spread across 19 days through November 30. The mobilizations will take place in three time slots: 6:45 to 8:45 a.m., 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. and 4:45 to 6:45 p.m., with stoppages in all three periods on the final day.
The protest affects the Driving, Customer Service, Inspection and Central Control Post departments and comes after months of negotiations without an agreement on the working conditions covered by the third collective agreement. In meetings held this week, the company had proposed that the longest shifts be covered by volunteers or, failing that, by younger workers, an alternative union representatives considered insufficient.
Despite the start of the mobilizations, the committee remains willing to negotiate the outstanding issues to reach an agreement. Staff acknowledge that the stoppages may cause inconvenience for users but defend the strike as a tool to demand improvements in working conditions.
