Disputes Persist Ahead of Planned Rail Strikes in Spain
As the countdown to a major strike begins, Renfe and Adif unions remain at an impasse with the Ministry of Transport.
The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and the rail unions are at an impasse just over 30 hours before the commencement of a planned seven-day strike at Renfe and Adif.
A protracted negotiation on Friday concluded without an agreement, and discussions continued over the weekend, but no new consensus was reached as of Saturday evening.
The unions have reported that they have not received any official call to resume negotiations.
The general committees of Renfe and Adif have thus confirmed their intention to proceed with the strike scheduled for March 17, 19, 24, 26, 28, April 1, and April 3. The unions assert that the strike is a response to what they perceive as the Ministry's failure to adhere to agreements related to the transfer of Rodalies services to the Generalitat of Catalonia and issues related to Renfe Mercancías.
During the recent ministerial meeting, led by Óscar Puente, a draft agreement was presented proposing that the new Rodalies operator, upon finalization of the transfer to the Generalitat, remain within the Renfe group.
The draft also suggested that Adif, the state infrastructure manager, would take full responsibility for line R1 (the Maresme line), marking the first that is set to transition to the Generalitat's oversight.
These proposals represent significant deviations from previous agreements made with the Generalitat under Salvador Illa and the ERC regarding the transfer of Rodalies.
According to these prior agreements, the Generalitat is to hold a majority stake in a joint company between the Generalitat and the state to manage Rodalies, which is expected to be established by the end of this year.
This contrasts with the plan for a subsidiary as initially negotiated with the unions in 2023.
The agreement reached on November 23, 2023, ensured the integrity of both Renfe and Adif, the preservation of existing job levels, and mandated that public company personnel handle the management of the Rodalies transfer to Catalonia and accommodate a private operator into Renfe Mercancías.
The Ministry maintains that the negotiations are still open and that efforts are underway in conjunction with the Generalitat to reach a resolution.
The Ministry expressed its commitment to achieving a consensus as negotiations continue through the weekend, although no further meeting has been scheduled, and the unions have yet to receive any new invitations for discussions.
The CGT has indicated that in the absence of a fresh negotiation proposal from the ministry, the planned strike actions will go ahead.
Other union sources have noted that they would consider cancelling the strike if terms align with the lines outlined in the November agreement to de-escalate the dispute.
Details of the strike include a complete work stoppage on March 17, as well as full stoppages on March 26 and April 1. On March 19, 24, 28, and April 3, partial strikes will be observed across three shifts.
Specifically, on March 19, work will halt from 06:00 to 09:00, 14:00 to 17:00, and 21:00 to 23:00, while March 24 and April 3 will see stoppages from 06:30 to 09:30, 14:30 to 17:30, and 20:30 to 22:30. March 28 will have pauses from 06:00 to 09:00, 13:30 to 16:30, and 20:30 to 23:30.
Renfe has announced minimum services that reach up to 81% in High Speed and 75% in Medium Distance and Commuter services during peak hours, decreasing to 50% at off-peak times.
However, the General Committee of the Company has opposed the proposed minimum service levels, arguing that they limit the impact of the strikes and impede the effective exercise of workers' rights.
A protracted negotiation on Friday concluded without an agreement, and discussions continued over the weekend, but no new consensus was reached as of Saturday evening.
The unions have reported that they have not received any official call to resume negotiations.
The general committees of Renfe and Adif have thus confirmed their intention to proceed with the strike scheduled for March 17, 19, 24, 26, 28, April 1, and April 3. The unions assert that the strike is a response to what they perceive as the Ministry's failure to adhere to agreements related to the transfer of Rodalies services to the Generalitat of Catalonia and issues related to Renfe Mercancías.
During the recent ministerial meeting, led by Óscar Puente, a draft agreement was presented proposing that the new Rodalies operator, upon finalization of the transfer to the Generalitat, remain within the Renfe group.
The draft also suggested that Adif, the state infrastructure manager, would take full responsibility for line R1 (the Maresme line), marking the first that is set to transition to the Generalitat's oversight.
These proposals represent significant deviations from previous agreements made with the Generalitat under Salvador Illa and the ERC regarding the transfer of Rodalies.
According to these prior agreements, the Generalitat is to hold a majority stake in a joint company between the Generalitat and the state to manage Rodalies, which is expected to be established by the end of this year.
This contrasts with the plan for a subsidiary as initially negotiated with the unions in 2023.
The agreement reached on November 23, 2023, ensured the integrity of both Renfe and Adif, the preservation of existing job levels, and mandated that public company personnel handle the management of the Rodalies transfer to Catalonia and accommodate a private operator into Renfe Mercancías.
The Ministry maintains that the negotiations are still open and that efforts are underway in conjunction with the Generalitat to reach a resolution.
The Ministry expressed its commitment to achieving a consensus as negotiations continue through the weekend, although no further meeting has been scheduled, and the unions have yet to receive any new invitations for discussions.
The CGT has indicated that in the absence of a fresh negotiation proposal from the ministry, the planned strike actions will go ahead.
Other union sources have noted that they would consider cancelling the strike if terms align with the lines outlined in the November agreement to de-escalate the dispute.
Details of the strike include a complete work stoppage on March 17, as well as full stoppages on March 26 and April 1. On March 19, 24, 28, and April 3, partial strikes will be observed across three shifts.
Specifically, on March 19, work will halt from 06:00 to 09:00, 14:00 to 17:00, and 21:00 to 23:00, while March 24 and April 3 will see stoppages from 06:30 to 09:30, 14:30 to 17:30, and 20:30 to 22:30. March 28 will have pauses from 06:00 to 09:00, 13:30 to 16:30, and 20:30 to 23:30.
Renfe has announced minimum services that reach up to 81% in High Speed and 75% in Medium Distance and Commuter services during peak hours, decreasing to 50% at off-peak times.
However, the General Committee of the Company has opposed the proposed minimum service levels, arguing that they limit the impact of the strikes and impede the effective exercise of workers' rights.
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