Six thousand car dealership and garage workers begin strike action day

The sector employs around 5,900 people in Malaga, of whom between 1,700 and 2,000 work for businesses with just one or two employees. "At the large centres, we have virtually 100 per cent participation, while the level of participation in micro-businesses varies," general secretary of the industry section of Comisiones Obreras (CC OO) in Malaga Andrés González Gato said.

González Gato explained the circumstances surrounding the strike at dealerships and garages against the background noise of the demonstration. The workers threatened to block Avenida de Europa, although only when the traffic lights stopped the cars. The National Police kept a close watch on their movements.

The previous collective agreement expired on 31 December. Employers and trade unions have been negotiating since January and have made some progress, but they remain at odds over several of the workers' demands.

"Cars have changed. We now have electric vehicles, which have nothing in common with the old combustion-engine vehicles, so we have demanded an electrification allowance. They also do not want to pay a bodywork and paintwork allowance for the new car models. We have to bear in mind that the new products are much more toxic than the old ones, yet they do not want to recognise the people who work with them. And they also do not want to recognise the effort people make to get to work every day when they have to travel so many kilometres. We want the transport allowance to be worded in a way that reflects reality," González Gato said.

Workers also complain that the transport allowance currently applies to only 50 per cent of employees in the sector, even though some workers travel considerable distances.

They also criticise the employers' side for being "completely unwilling" to agree to a reduction in annual working hours, from 1,756 to 1,752. They want to cut two hours this year and another two next year, bringing their agreement into line with the metalworking industry's collective agreement, with which they have historically been linked.

The workers are also demanding that employers continue to pay the various allowances during annual leave, as required under EU rules. In other words, employees should receive the same overall pay while on holiday as they do during the months when they work.

They are also calling for another allowance based on experience or length of service. "Someone who has worked for a company for ten, 15 or 20 years is infinitely more productive than someone who has just started. At the moment, someone starting out earns the same as someone who has been there for 25 years. The employers have said that 1,400 euros is more than enough pay.”

The workers remain willing to negotiate. "We don't want to be here. We want to be in the garages doing our jobs. Our goal is an agreement. Industrial action is never our objective."

They are, however, prepared to continue their campaign until the employers meet their demands.

For now, they have called three days of strike action: Thursday, Friday and next Monday. "If our demands are not met, we will have no choice but to keep up the pressure and continue taking industrial action," CC OO said.

The union had hoped to reach an agreement in May, but negotiations were postponed, leaving workers with little choice but to strike on these dates, which coincide with the start of the August holiday getaway.

Carlos Moya, CC OO Malaga's head of organisation for the industry section, added: "You can't live on the wages we earn. They pay days' worth of wages with half an hour of our labour, while twenty hours of our work pays for an entire month's salary, including social security contributions and everything else. People are fed up, and that's why we're here, standing up for our rights."

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