Spanish government will sit down to negotiate civil servants' pay rise following 'massive' demonstration
A meeting has been called for next Wednesday, although staff unions warn that there will be a general strike in December if there is no agreement
Civil servants in Spain took to the streets on Thursday to demand improved working conditions. This time, their protest and the threat of a general strike in December if their demands are not met have had an effect: the Spanish government will sit down with them to negotiate the pending salary increase, both for this year - since their paychecks are currently frozen - and for subsequent years. This was announced by the CSIF, UGT and CC OO unions after holding a "massive" demonstration in Madrid, in front of the Ministry responsible for the Civil Service, and at many regional representative headquarters for central government throughout Spain.
The new Secretary of State for Public Administration, Consuelo Sánchez Naranjo, invited union leaders to her office to inform them that collective bargaining for the Civil Service will resume on Wednesday 5 November.
The unions applauded the ministry's decision, but warned that they are not prepared to "waste any more time" and demanded that, at this first meeting, Óscar López's ministry present a financial offer to improve the salaries of all civil servants (over 3.5 million public employees), who are losing spending power. Along with these demands, they warned that, if an agreement is not reached, "there will be a strike in December".
"I can't make ends meet"
"It cannot be, I'm a public employee and I can't make ends meet", "Negotiate or general strike", "Better salaries are needed" and "More negotiation, less manipulation" were some of the slogans that civil servants shouted this Thursday in front of the ministry led by Óscar López.
The CSIF union demanded a salary increase mandated by decree and that salaries be indexed to pensions plus an additional percentage agreed upon with the unions.
Among other demands, the unions are also calling for an end to the replacement rate, for public sector job openings to meet the needs of governance, for increased staffing levels, for improved conditions for partial and early retirement within the civil service and for a 35-hour working week.
