The Valencia Community now has a new public company charged with managing ITV services, and the structure is set to apply uniform pay scales based on worker category. This agreement was reached on a Wednesday by the leadership of Sitval and the unions UGT, CC OO, CSIF, and Intersindical. The decision to suspend the anticipated indefinite strike was placed on the agenda for the upcoming Friday.
Historically, the challenge arose when the newly formed public company needed to recruit staff from multiple franchisees. These workers were left to operate with a high degree of autonomy until February, which meant that even though they belonged to the same corporate family, their working conditions diverged according to their origin. The unions condemned this situation as illegal and unfair. The core complaint centered on wage differentials that could reach up to 40 percent, with employees from former concessionaires in Alicante province among those most affected.
Note: One of the ITV sites in Alicante provides a tangible example of the service network under discussion.
Consell initiates a formal process to establish four fixed ITV stations in the province
From the outset Sitval administrators stressed that fair remuneration for all employees was non negotiable, yet reaching an agreement on the mechanics of equal pay took time and led to union concerns about a potential strike beginning the following Friday. The matter was placed before the Labor Arbitration Court during the week to seek a speedy resolution.
A representative image shows an ITV service location in Alicante as part of the regional network.
In the end, mediation did not proceed because Sitval invited the workers’ representatives to open a negotiating table and the parties were able to reach a settlement on the same week.
The resulting agreement commits to raising the minimum wage for the current year and to maintaining a schedule that achieves complete equalization over a four year period. The unions, however, indicate that the most significant proportional increase will occur in the current year.
ITV operations under public administration will begin with service gaps in El Campello, Santa Pola and Calp
Negotiations continued as authorities sought to establish stable terms for terminology and oversight. There exists no single collective agreement covering the entire ITV network of the Valencia Community, unlike the eight separate agreements that emerged after concessions were reversed.
The creation of a publicly traded company to oversee ITV aligns with the Consell policy of restoring a substantial share of privatized services back to the public sector. This follows similar moves seen with healthcare facilities in Torrevieja and Alzira. Within this framework, the new company operates under the Ministry of Economy, maintaining oversight while ensuring public accountability of services.
This transition marks a broader initiative to unify service standards and remuneration across ITV locations, responding to concerns raised by workers and unions about fair pay and consistent working conditions. The objective is to deliver reliable, consistent ITV service across the Valencia region while restoring public control over critical public utilities.