Spain’s Labor Inspectorate Strike Presses for Structural Change
The conflict surrounding the Labor Inspectorate has stalled progress and mobilization efforts. The call to press the government to honor the July 7, 2021 agreement followed a Wednesday meeting with the Minister of State for Employment and Social Economy, Joaquin Perez Rey, during which movement toward resolution slowed.
Unions including CCOO, CSIF, Sitss, Sislab, Upit, and Usess, alongside others like CIG and UGT, met Perez Rey for two hours on the day the Labor Inspectorate employees were summoned. This marked the third day of strikes in December and January, underscoring the breadth of the protest and the breadth of the concerns.
Calls to strengthen the Inspectorate, particularly in material resources and personnel, were reiterated as part of the July 7, 2021 agreement. The unions argued that such enhancements are essential to meet the agency’s mandate and to ensure proper functioning of labor oversight.
In a statement, CCOO relayed that the minister described the conflict as highly uncomfortable and clarified that the blockage originated not from the Ministry of Labour, but from the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration, signaling interministerial friction as a complicating factor. The union also noted ongoing updates to the Job Position Relationship, or RPT, which involve cross-department information exchange as responsibilities shift from the Public Function portfolio managed by Yolanda Diaz. They added that the Secretary of State for Public Functions has questioned the agency’s organizational model for State Labor and Social Security Inspection.
Perez Rey indicated that the unions and the Labor Party present at the meeting contributed to the ongoing negotiation between ministries, suggesting that structural changes should not pose a barrier when guided by the RPT. Yet the unions point out that the Secretary of State has acknowledged a lack of a clear response from Public Affairs, and that the resulting RPT may diverge from what was agreed on July 7, 2021. At present, there is no set deadline for a final draft from Public Function.
According to CCOO, the Minister of Foreign Affairs assured the unions that the budget would be considered for RP T approval. However, Public Function fears that approving the RPT under the treaty terms could provoke a comparative complaint with other bodies and scales within the General State Administration. CCOO warned that failure to ratify the RPT as agreed could intensify the Labor Inspectorate dispute.
90% Participation
CCOO reported that 90% of the Labor Inspectorate workforce supported the Wednesday strike across the organization’s headquarters. While the union lamented the lack of reliable participation data from the administration, it criticized the approach of requesting sworn statements and accused the administration of a strategy intended to downplay the conflict.
Sources familiar with the situation told Europa Press that the platform supporting the strike plans to reconvene next week to discuss additional protest steps in the ongoing push for change and to keep the mobilization momentum alive.