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13 November, 2006
Spanish petrol station workers went on strike last week, 7-8 November, as last minute negotiations between unions and employers yielded no resolve earlier in the week.
The two-day strike, held prior to a long weekend in Spain due to a national holiday, had been called by Spanish ICEM affiliates FIA-UGT and FITEQA-CC.OO. Strikes affected stations throughout Spain, except for two provinces, which have a separate collective agreement.
According to the unions, the strike’s success was “massive,” with approximately 70-80% of all petrol station workers taking part. Some 1,811 petrol and gas stations, some 20% of the entire petrol market in Spain, were forced to remain open on 7-8 November due to a Spanish law intended to guarantee minimum service.
The mass industrial action was brought on because of a series of bad working conditions: long, often unpaid or poorly paid working hours; excessive rotation and temporary work, including shift and weekend work; job-related health and safety problems; and extremely low remuneration.
Workers in the sector earn gross pay totalling €800–900 a month. Considering that the price of petroleum has tripled over the last three years, even though it has dipped of late, Spanish unions are seeking only modest salary increases for petrol station operators.
Employers’ statements indicate that the union demands “do not correspond to reality.” But the reality is that Spanish petrol stations employ nearly 42,000 workers at 8,700 stations, with 50% of them immigrant workers. And of those immigrant workers, 60% are women. It is employers who reject upgrading wages and working conditions for Spanish petrol station workers.
A union representative said it is important that employers now “change their rigid behaviour and agree to a fair collective agreement for the workers in the gas and petrol stations so that they can work in decent conditions.”
Discussions are scheduled to continue this week. However, the unions have said their options would remain open, with further strikes possible.