The chain of bakery-cafeterias 365 Obrador is facing a labor dispute that could change the working conditions of around 800 employees in Barcelona
The UGT union and the Gremi de Restauració of the Catalan capital have joined forces to demand that the workers at these establishments stop being subject to the bakery collective agreement and instead be governed by the hospitality one, a modification which, according to union estimates reported by Metrópoli, would involve a pay difference of about 460 euros gross per month per worker, in addition to improvements in vacations, rest periods, and paid leave.
The controversy revolves around a seemingly simple question, but with important economic consequences: are they dependent on a bakery or are they waiters at a cafeteria? For UGT, the roles performed by 365 employees correspond to those of the hospitality sector, since they prepare coffees and other drinks, serve food, attend to customers, and manage orders in establishments that have tables, chairs, and terraces. The union organization argues that applying the bakery agreement makes it possible to maintain working conditions that are lower than those that would correspond to the activity actually carried out.
The conflict has acquired a new dimension this Saturday, November 14, after the Gremi de Restauració de Barcelona announced its entry into the labor offensive launched by UGT. The employers’ organization, which represents the interests of the hospitality sector, believes that large bakery chains offering tastings must meet the same obligations as bars and cafeterias when they carry out equivalent activities. Its intervention thus opens a double front for 365: recognition of hospitality working conditions and compliance with the municipal regulations that govern the operation of terraces.
The dispute could also spread to other large chains operating in Catalonia, such as Vivari, El Taller, Fornet or Santaglòria, whose establishments share a business model based on selling bakery products accompanied by the consumption of drinks and food within the premises itself. The outcome of the procedure against 365 could become a reference for future claims, although any extension of its effects will depend on the scope of the court ruling and the circumstances of each company.
Why UGT is demanding an additional 460 euros per month for employees of 365
The economic difference constitutes the main element of the dispute. Union representatives argue that applying the hospitality agreement would make it possible to significantly increase the remuneration of workers who are currently covered by the bakery agreement. The most recent estimate puts the difference at approximately 460 euros gross per month, although the specific increase would depend on the professional category, the working hours, salary supplements, and the individual situation of each employee.
In annual terms, a difference of 460 euros per month would mean an additional 5,520 euros gross if it were received over twelve monthly installments, without taking into account possible differences related to extra payments or supplements. However, this amount should be understood as an economic reference and not as an identical and guaranteed pay rise for all those affected.
The union had previously set the potential increase between 300 and 400 euros gross per month, which shows that the amounts can vary depending on the concepts used in the comparison. For now, there is no judicial ruling that has generally recognized the right of the approximately 790 affected workers to collect that difference.
The claim is based on the content of the interprovincial collective bargaining agreement for hospitality and tourism in Catalonia for the period 2025-2028, published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat on 23 March 2026. Its functional scope expressly includes catering establishments that serve meals and drinks for consumption on the premises or on a terrace, as well as certain businesses with tastings, even if this activity is not necessarily the main one.
This last point is especially relevant to the controversy. The commercial name of bakery does not automatically exclude the application of the hospitality agreement if the business carries out activities included within its scope. However, determining which agreement corresponds to apply requires analyzing the company’s characteristics, the functions performed, and the possible concurrence of other collective rules.
UGT considers that the organization of work in 365 corresponds to that of a cafeteria and calls for professional categories, working hours, and salaries to be regularized. The union also intends for employees to be able to claim, where appropriate, the amounts they have failed to receive due to the application of an agreement that it considers incorrect.
More vacation, breaks, and leave: the other improvements that workers are demanding
The conflict is not limited to salaries. The change in the agreement could also involve improvements in rest periods, paid leave, and annual vacations, aspects that UGT considers especially important in a sector with a high presence of women and with working hours that may be difficult to reconcile with family responsibilities.
As the general secretary of FeSMC-UGT, Óscar López, explained, applying hospitality conditions would allow recognizing two additional days for personal matters, one more day of vacation per year, and eight hours of medical leave. In addition, the union demands that the twelve hours of rest between shifts be guaranteed and that the twenty minutes of break established in the corresponding working conditions be counted within the working day.
In the case of the twelve hours between shifts, this is a minimum rest period included in general in the Workers’ Statute, so the union’s demand refers to ensuring its compliance and not to creating a right that does not exist until now. As for the remaining permits and rest periods, their specific application would depend on the corresponding agreement and the conditions of each employee.
López has highlighted the importance of these improvements "taking into account that it is a very feminized sector and even today it is usually women who bear, as a rule, the caregiving tasks for family members". The union representative believes that having additional leave and appropriate rest periods is fundamental to improving the reconciliation of staff schedules.
The scale of the conflict is considerable. UGT estimates that 790 employees are affected in the 365 stores in the province of Barcelona, although the Gremi de Restauració rounds the figure to about 800 workers. The demand does not include employees of the central production unit, whose production activity has characteristics different from those of establishments open to the public.
The 365 bakery conflict reaches the courts
The union complaint began formally on October 7, 2026, when UGT initiated a conciliation procedure before the Labor Court of Catalonia to demand the modification of the collective agreement applied to workers in the stores. The organization argues that the activity carried out in the premises does not correspond to the labor framework currently used and that it is necessary to adapt working conditions to the actual duties of the workforce.
After no agreement was reached, the dispute has advanced to the judicial route, which is now also joined by the Gremi de Restauració de Barcelona. The hospitality employers’ association has announced its intention to appear in the procedure and to collaborate in actions aimed at clarifying which collective agreement must be applied to these establishments.
The conflict occurs after UGT achieved progress in other Catalan provinces. In particular, the union has stated that it has already obtained a first favorable ruling related to 365 in Lleida, an antecedent it considers relevant to support its claims in Barcelona. However, the existence of a favorable ruling in another territorial area does not automatically determine the outcome of the current procedure, since there may be differences in the collective agreements applicable and in the conditions of the establishments.
For the workers’ representatives, a favorable ruling would allow them to claim not only the updating of wages, but also the corresponding economic differences for earlier periods, always within the applicable legal limits. The possible recognition of back pay constitutes another of the relevant aspects of the procedure, although it has not yet been determined what amounts could be demanded or from what date.
The hospitality employers’ association also wants to use the outcome as a reference to take action against other bakery-cafeteria chains. Its aim is that, if the application of the hospitality collective agreement is recognized by the courts, similar claims can be promoted across the rest of the sector. However, a ruling against 365 would not necessarily and automatically require all competing companies to modify their collective agreements.
The dispute over the terraces opens a second front against the bakeries
To the strictly labor-related conflict is added a controversy related to the municipal ordinance on terraces in Barcelona. El Gremi de Restauració argues that many of the large bakery-cafeterias operate with a self-service model in which customers must go up to the counter to place their orders and pick up their drinks, even when they use the tables located outdoors.
According to the interpretation defended by the employers’ association, this practice conflicts with the municipal regulations, which require that authorized terraces have direct service to customers. The Gremi believes that users must be able to place their orders and receive their drinks at the tables, without being required to go to the bar.
The issue is especially relevant because table service is one of the arguments used in the discussion about the nature of the activity of these establishments. The business position described by the Gremi states that the employees of the bakeries do not perform duties proper to waiters because they work mainly behind the counter. However, the hospitality employers’ association considers that this explanation is incompatible with the obligations arising from terrace licenses.
The Gremi has announced a new batch of 53 complaints against panaderías with tasting in Barcelona that, according to its checks, have a terrace without offering direct service to customers at the tables. These complaints do not refer exclusively to establishments of 365, but to different businesses in the sector that present similar characteristics.
The regulations provide for penalties for failure to comply with the operating conditions of the terraces. According to the information provided by the Gremi, minor offenses may be punished with fines of up to 750 euros, while the repetition of irregularities may lead to more severe consequences, including the possible loss of the municipal authorization.
The business organization has summarized its stance with a warning: "Either they attend to customers directly on the terrace or they are left without a terrace." In any case, these are two legally distinct controversies: compliance with the municipal ordinance must be analyzed separately from determining the applicable collective agreement for employees.
The growth of 365 Obrador: 220 locations and 150 million in turnover
The labor conflict coincides with a stage of expansion of 365 Obrador, one of the best-known bakery-cafeteria chains in Catalonia. The brand is part of the Horreols family group, founded in 1999 by Juan Antonio Tena and Emilia Castro, and has its headquarters in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. Its model combines the production and distribution of bakery products with a network of establishments that offer coffees, pastries, sandwiches, and other foods to be consumed inside or outside the premises.
The company, led by Patricia Cortizas, closed 2025 with 220 establishments and aggregate turnover of 150 million euros, 10% more than in the previous year. The group also recorded an attributed net profit of 3.1 million euros and ended the year with a total workforce of approximately 2,100 workers, after creating 320 new jobs.
The company announced for 2026 a growth plan that included about 30 new openings, as well as entry into Aragón, where it inaugurated at the end of February its first establishment outside Catalonia, located in Zaragoza. Its expansion also includes new investments in production and logistics facilities, including a seven-million-euro project to expand its premises in L'Hospitalet.
This growth reflects the transformation experienced by the bakery sector in recent years. The large chains have developed a business model that combines the sale of bread with the consumption of cafeteria products, which allows them to diversify their income and extend their operating hours. At the same time, the coexistence of different activities within the same establishment has opened up new controversies regarding working conditions and the regulatory obligations they must comply with.
The case of 365 may thus become a point of reference for other companies in the sector, especially those that maintain workforces subject to bakery agreements while offering catering services. The resolution of the conflict will have to determine whether the characteristics of the establishments and the functions of their workers justify the application of the hospitality agreement.
For now, the difference of 460 euros per month continues to be an economic demand linked to the change in the collective agreement and not an approved salary increase. The procedure must clarify which labor framework should apply, which employees are affected, and whether there is a right to claim back payments. Meanwhile, the incorporation of the Gremi de Restauració into the actions promoted by UGT expands a dispute that no longer affects only one chain, but the operating model of the large bakery-cafeterias.