The footwear employers’ association together with the unions CC OO and UGT have resolved a three-month dispute that had unsettled the sector. The settlement lifts salaries by 15 percent and includes a built‑in review mechanism to ensure this level can be maintained. It also provides a reduction in annual working hours, moving from 1,788 hours in 2022 to 1,776 hours by 2025, signaling a shift toward a more balanced work schedule for employees in the industry.
The agreement covers 16,500 workers in the Alicante province, coming after heightened tensions in recent weeks that culminated in a strike on December 1. The agreement has attracted cautious support from industry observers and participants who see it as a path toward stability after a period of tension.
The signing was carried out by representatives of the Spanish Footwear Manufacturers’ Federation (FICE), the Spanish Footwear and Leather Products Component and Machinery Companies Association (AEC), and the unions. The contract lays out specific wage increases: 4 percent in 2022, 4 percent in 2023, 2.5 percent in 2024, and 2 percent in 2025. At the end of the contract’s validity, wage tables will be reviewed upwards, up to a ceiling of 3 percent, if differences in the consumer price index warrant it.
José María Escrigas, a spokesperson for business representatives in the negotiation, emphasized that the agreement enables 2023 to begin with broad unity. This unity is described as critical for allowing both companies and workers to advance together into a new phase, with a clear aim of preserving social peace in the sector for the next four years.