The collapse of unions to negotiate equality plans will be worsened by the new mobility plans

The Sustainable Mobility Law, which was passed by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, introduces a requirement for companies with work centers of more than 500 employees or shifts where 250 employees coincide to negotiate a mobility plan with the workers’ legal representatives. The aim is to promote sustainable transportation options such as public transport or teleworking. However, if there is no worker representation, the companies must negotiate with the majority unions in the sector, which are typically UGT and CCOO.

This model, similar to the one used for equality plans, has caused a strain on the majority unions. They receive numerous requests from companies to negotiate their plans, leading to delays in negotiations. Moreover, companies without an equality plan may face consequences such as the inability to contract with the Administration or receive subsidies.

The unions not only face a shortage of members but also have to bear the financial burden of this work. UGT alone estimates that negotiating equality plans has cost them 15 million euros, including expenses for negotiators, resources, and training. The lack of training among worker representatives also requires assistance from the union’s central office, further adding to the cost.

Although the government is aware of the bottlenecks resulting from this negotiation model, it has chosen to apply the same formula to mobility plans. However, these plans will only affect companies with larger work centers or simultaneous shifts.

Alfredo Aspra, a founding partner of Labormatters Abogados, explains that having worker representation is a voluntary decision and not linked to a specific threshold. Many companies in the technology or startup sectors, for example, do not have such representation. Aspra believes that this new law will further burden the unions and contribute to their collapse.

UGT and CCOO have not been involved in the negotiation of this law, despite their desire to provide input and express the additional workload it entails for their organizations, which are already stretched to their limits.

Although the law has been in process since before the general elections last year, it has now been approved by the Executive to fulfill one of the milestones outlined in the Recovery Plan agreed with Brussels.