New labor movements are emerging in the research and maritime operational action areas of the National Customs Surveillance Service, known as the SVA. The leadership of the JUSVA association, comprised of agents from all ranks within the SVA, began this Wednesday in Madrid a round of outreach to police union federations with the goal of forming a new union within the State Security sector.
This week the JUSVA leadership will explore that possibility, confirmed by Jorge S., an SVA agent and the association’s president. The first union contacted is the Federal Police Union, UFP, now also known as UFPol, whose leaders have provided initial guidance to the Tax Agency officers.
The initial outreach is also aimed at examining how SVA members can secure a seat at the negotiating table to obtain recognition as a high‑risk profession.
Jorge S., an SVA agent and president, described the development as historic, noting that for the first time the members of the National Customs Surveillance Service are uniting to press for salary parity and that there is optimistic momentum about these synergies with the unions of the National Police. He emphasized the potential benefits of working with these police unions as part of a broader effort to improve pay and status.
In pursuit of parity in pay
Tax Agency police officers, with authority across Spain, are the only state police personnel who have not participated in the salary equalization processes with Mossos d’Esquadra, the force whose payrolls serve as a reference for the rest. Those who have achieved salary alignment include the National Police and the Civil Guard, both under the Interior Ministry, while the 2,200 fiscal agents operate under the Ministry of Finance.
In March, after a particularly dangerous anti‑drug operation, a WhatsApp group formed among SVA members concerned about low pay. In just one month the group grew to about a hundred members; today it counts 993, almost half of the staff where a newly hired agent can net 1,490 euros per month and, after six trienniums, will not reach 1,700.
After years of division between departments, the JUSVA now includes agents from all ranks of the service and from its two areas: Maritime and Investigation.
The SVA remains one of the least‑known state security bodies despite its involvement in pivotal operations against drug trafficking and organized crime. The latest notable contribution attributed to the service comes from the National Police’s action against the Russian mafia in Spain, including its networks that launder proceeds for Albanian, Serbian, Armenian, Chinese, Ukrainian, Colombian, and Mocro‑Mafia groups.