The Federation of Industry, Construction and Agro of UGT (UGT FICA) in Jaén has transferred its proposals platform to the employer side for the next collective bargaining agreement for farming and livestock activities in the province.
The union document proposes an agreement with a term of three years, which begins with a six percent wage increase in the first year and provides for review clauses linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the following two years, with the aim of preserving the workforce’s purchasing power.
With the formal constitution of the negotiating table, the stage of dialogue begins that will define the working conditions of workers in the countryside of Jaén.
As the union explained in a press release, the purpose of this platform is to consolidate labor and social rights, strengthen wages, and dignify employment in a sector considered strategic for the provincial economy.
Among the central measures defended by UGT FICA Jaén is the creation of housing rental assistance for people who work on agricultural holdings. The union stresses that this initiative aims to respond to the difficulty in attracting labor that the employers’ association has been pointing out.
The organization highlights that, for agricultural employment to be attractive and to help keep people living in the area, it is essential to offer "decent conditions" and facilitate access to housing, rather than simply demanding more workers.
The UGT FICA Jaén platform also includes other key demands, such as reducing working hours to promote reconciliation between professional and personal life, as well as the incorporation of new paid leave in the agreement’s wording.
Likewise, the union proposes raising the distance allowance in order to better compensate daily travel to the farms, and it calls for improved insurance policies that increase coverage against possible occupational contingencies.
The union organization has reiterated its willingness to face the negotiation with the aim of reaching an agreement that provides "real progress" and adapts working conditions to the current reality of the countryside, contributing to the sustainability of the agricultural sector in the province of Jaén.