3 days of strike announced in Valencian citrus stations for December 12

The employers' association representing citrus exporters improved its proposal on wage increases with a +15% over 4 years. It also includes a review clause according to CPI and with even higher increases according to professional categories. The association regrets that, in Spanish citrus areas other than Valencia, the same unions did accept formulas to be more competitive in working hours in order to serve the large distribution.

11 hours of negotiations without reaching an agreement

On December 4, the seventh meeting took place between the unions (UGT-PV and CCOO-PV) and the employers to try to reach an agreement on the Collective Agreement for Citrus Fruit Handling and Packaging. The employers were represented by the Citrus Management Committee (CGC), which has the largest representation, and the Federation of Agri-Food Cooperatives of the CV. After a marathon meeting of 11 hours, the social part announced that it would initiate procedures to call a three-day strike, from 12 to 14 December. The mobilization takes place despite the fact that the CGC has given up its main demand and has agreed to make the necessary labor flexibility voluntary. The large European distribution demands flexibility in supply, to continue considering Spain as its first supplier.

Irresponsible strike announcement

The strike is also called despite having proposed a wage increase of 9% already this year and 15% accumulated to the fourth year. It would be higher than the Consumer Price Index (CPI). It also adds to that increases for certain professional categories of up to 14% for the first year alone. "We have made concessions without receiving anything in return, following the DANA disaster, after three weeks of intermittent rains between October and November in which harvesting and marketing has been paralyzed. With the increasingly certain threat on the EU market of cheaper supply from Morocco, Turkey and Egypt, this announcement of strike seems more irresponsible than ever; It will question the progress of the campaign as such and is an attack, not only to exporters but, above all, to citrus growers themselves, "denounces the president of the CGC, Immaculate Sanfeliu.

Labor flexibility agreements reached in other provinces

The attitude that all this time has maintained CCOO and UGT contrasts with the agreements that these same unions have reached in similar agreements, which are also applicable in other Spanish citrus areas. In those provinces have been reached agreements today in force that do provide for varying degrees of flexibility to meet the demands of the so-called modern distribution. "The rejection of these formulas will mean that, not only will we lose competitiveness against other Mediterranean countries where Western labor conditions are not met, but we will also lose competitiveness with other Spanish regions, which will enjoy the advantages that we are denied," Sanfeliu clarifies. All in all, this agreement would damage the whole sector because it is the one that concerns more workers - some 55,000 in the whole Community - but fundamentally because it affects the packing houses that are responsible for 70% of the fresh citrus marketed throughout the country.

Working 10 Saturdays and holidays per year per campaign      

Concretely, until this week  the CGC raised reaching a compromise to work an approximate number of 10 Saturdays and holidays per year per campaign. "Our competitive advantage is to give good service. That factor is, along with others such as food safety and consistent quality, which gives more added value to our citrus, which differentiates us from the supply of other powers  with lower costs and social, environmental or phytosanitary requirements, "warns the president of the CGC.