The negotiations surrounding the updated Scholarship Regulations picked up again this Monday, following a pause aimed at awaiting the summer period and final considerations from employers to modify the contract. After a brief postponement during internal political cycles, the central players resumed discussions, with the major business group at the table once more. The key change in the latest draft, presented to social partners, is the removal of extracurricular activities deemed nonessential for degree passage, a move unions are reviewing as a preliminary agreement that could be ratified by their top bodies. Negotiators aligned with Yolanda Díaz are crafting a new proposal that preserves consensus among factories while accommodating the position of the main employer association, a balance that keeps the door open for essential industrial support without derailing the overarching reform.
The session at the Department of Labor extended beyond three hours, with employers pushing for changes across nearly all of Díazs preliminary accords with the unions. Multiple sources indicate that the employer group intends to maintain the current extracurricular practice framework and seek curriculum exemptions. The proposed adjustments would require students to cover the costs related to transportation and lodging when studying abroad, a measure the sector argues is necessary for students to complete their degrees in a timely manner.
From the unions’ side, negotiators appear constrained by the latest government positions that had already been approved by their leadership as a base of consensus. Opting to roll back or cancel the extracurricular practices slated for 2025 would represent a significant shift in the regulation. The government plans to advance the reform as legislation, which means it could be amended in Congress as coalition agreements move forward. If enacted, the reform would take effect no earlier than the 2023-2024 academic year, with a timeline that reflects the careful negotiation pace between the ministries, employers, and union leadership.