Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain’s Social Security Ministry has moved forward with the process that could allow professional road transport workers in Catalonia to retire early. The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, led by Elma Saiz, said it is continuing the study of early retirement for road freight workers through reducing coefficients.
The announcement follows months of pressure from unions. The Federation of Services, Mobility and Consumption of UGT, known as FeSMC, called off a planned strike after receiving official confirmation from the Spanish government that the procedure is going ahead.
According to the union, the General Directorate of Social Security Planning has completed its morbidity and mortality report for the road freight transport sector. That report is one of the key steps in deciding whether the activity meets the conditions for early retirement because of its arduous nature, danger and high accident rate.
The ministry also told UGT in writing that applications submitted in October 2025 will continue to be processed, even though they were filed after the deadlines set out in Royal Decree 400/2025. UGT had feared the process could have been blocked at an administrative level.
The next stage is for the applications to be sent to the National Institute for Safety and Health at Work and the Labour Inspectorate. Both bodies are expected to issue reports within about one month. After that, the full file will go to the Evaluation Commission, whose first meeting is scheduled for September.
For more Catalonia-wide labour and public policy updates, see our news coverage.