More than 100 textile sector workers protested in Barcelona on Avinguda del Portal de l'Àngel against a national pre-agreement signed by the Spanish Textile Retail Association (Arte), CCOO and Fetico.
The demonstration was called by the UGT federation of services, mobility and consumption in Catalonia. It formed part of a nationwide strike in large textile and footwear retail chains, also organised by UGT.
UGT said the agreement would open the door to job precarity, a double salary scale and the dismantling of provincial agreements. The union also argued that it would centralise collective bargaining in a way that harms regional interests.
In Barcelona, the protest began at 11am outside the Zara store on the same avenue, following a similar gathering at the same location on 16 April. Óscar López, general secretary of UGT's Catalan federation of services, mobility and consumption, said the new model would replace staff with established rights with new contracts on less favourable terms.
UGT said the pre-agreement would lower the minimum annual pay for new hires from €21,000 to €18,000. The union also raised concerns about Sunday and public holiday working, saying that in Barcelona these shifts are currently voluntary with specific compensation between 15 May and 15 September, and on the ten national opening holidays in some tourist areas.
At the earlier protest on 16 April, UGT general secretary Pepe Álvarez and UGT of Catalonia general secretary Camil Ros also attended. They warned then that the pre-agreement went against the working conditions of workers in Catalonia. For more local labour coverage, see our Catalonia news tag.
