CCOO has denounced that department store and hypermarket chains have been consolidating a precarious and "low cost" labor model for years, which is why the union will go to the imminent negotiation of the collective agreement of La Distribución Anged with a clear demand for improvements in salaries and working time. This agreement affects nearly 240,000 employees in Spain and includes companies such as El Corte Inglés, Ikea, Alcampo, Carrefour, and Leroy Merlin.
The general secretary of CCOO Servicios, Ramón González, emphasized at a press conference that this is a sector that plays a key role in the national economy, both for job creation and for its contribution to wealth. However, he regrets that, while companies are achieving record profits, the working conditions of the staff remain anchored in precariousness.
González recalled that the current agreement expires on December 31 and considers that it has "clearly become outdated based on the evolution of the country's economic life and the evolution of factors such as the minimum wage."
In this regard, he cited the agreement signed a month ago in the first state agreement for large textile and footwear brands with ARTE as a reference, where they see measures that can be exported to large distribution. "We think that measures like two days of rest would be applicable and we can be more ambitious, that there is room for improvement, because the companies have financial health to be much more efficient in the distribution of income and in working conditions," he indicated.
CCOO criticizes that the profitability strategy of these companies continues to rely on hiring cheaper labor. Therefore, in the negotiation, they will advocate for a significant pay increase, as the average gross annual salary is around 20,400 euros, up to 26% below the average gross salary of the economy as a whole, and the part-time employment rate stands at 25%, compared to 16% for the country as a whole.
In this context, the union will propose a salary increase of 7% in 2027 and a minimum increase of 4% annually from 2028, along with a differential of 5% over the interprofessional minimum wage (SMI). Furthermore, they aspire for the salary of the professional group to exceed 20,000 euros annually during the term of the agreement.
A more dignified and attractive sector to work in
"We have to start dignifying this sector so that it becomes attractive again and where workers find development, that it has talent retention and that they do not consider that entering here was a mistake or practically an accident," said the head of Commerce CCOO Services, Eugenio Gámez Campos.
For her part, the secretary of union action and union policies of CCOO Services, Angeles Rodríguez Bonillo, has insisted that the goal is "to avoid the precariousness that has characterized this sector for years," since she believes that it "can be done and now is the time."
The report "The Voice of the Staff," which analyzes the work environment in these companies, shows that 71% reject working Sundays and holidays due to lack of work-life balance or adequate compensation, 76% report work overload due to staff shortages, and 70% perceive incentive systems as opaque and arbitrary.
In this regard, Rodríguez argues that Sundays and holidays should be "voluntary work" and that it should certainly be "compensated," as it was years ago. "Now is the time for them to be paid again and for these people, for having that availability in the company on those days when people traditionally enjoy their leisure time, to also receive economic compensation," she stressed.
During the negotiation of the new agreement, CCOO will propose reducing the working day to 1,712 hours per year, guaranteeing 12 full weekends (Saturday and Sunday) off per year, and making Sundays and holidays voluntary and paid. Likewise, it will demand that 90% of contracts be permanent and that, in the case of part-time employment, a minimum of 28 hours per week be established, with shifts of five hours per day, understanding that these measures will contribute to reducing the high level of part-time employment in retail.
The union organization is convinced that the negotiation "has to end well" and calls for all parties to contribute their "grain of sand to be socially responsible" in a leading sector of the Spanish economy such as distribution.
Currently, department stores and hypermarkets employ about 240,000 workers, with predominantly female staff (65%) and an average age between 35 and 54 years, according to the cited report.
The collective agreement for department stores applies to all companies of La Distribución Anged that do not have their own agreement, including El Corte Inglés, Ikea, Alcampo, Carrefour or Leroy Merlin, in addition to their business groups and franchises. Around 1,000 establishments would fall under its scope: 352 hypermarkets, 406 department stores, and 330 large retail stores.