Strike at Ouigo: the train drivers call for six days of strikes during the November and December bridge

According to the information available as of October 8, 2026, the labor conflict at Ouigo Spain is not in a fully underway phase of negotiating a new agreement, but rather in a dispute over the effective compliance with the current agreement and the commitments made in 2025. The tension has resulted in a new wave of strikes called by the train drivers' union SEMAF for late October and the November and December holiday periods, with no public schedule of negotiation meetings yet available to defuse them.

On the institutional side, at the national level (Government of Spain) in the registers of collective agreements and labor resolutions, there is currently no record of a new specific collective agreement for Ouigo Spain nor recent public rulings or resolutions that end this particular conflict. Other agreements in the railway sector appear (for example, those for railway contractors), but nothing directly related to Ouigo.

Immediate background: 2025 agreement and working committee

In 2025, the conflict peaked initially with several days of strikes by train drivers. The May 2025 meeting before the Regional Institute of Mediation and Arbitration of Madrid (IRMA) failed, and the conflict revolved around:

• The dismissal of a specific train driver.
• Alleged breaches of the collective agreement by the company.

On June 6, 2025, SEMAF and Ouigo reached an agreement that allowed the cancellation of five planned strike days. This pact included:

• The creation of a working committee between the company and the workers' legal representation to address the contentious clauses of the agreement.
• A private agreement regarding the dismissed worker's situation, the details of which have not been made public.

This understanding eased tensions but did not structurally resolve all issues related to the application of the agreement: SEMAF itself would later denounce that breaches continued to occur.

Reactivation of the conflict in 2026

In 2026, the conflict reopened. SEMAF again points to “repeated and systematic” breaches of the agreement, focused on:

• Schedules that the union considers irregular.
• Excessive working hours and abusive shifts.
• Violation of rest periods and safety conditions.
• Lack of a “real and operative” negotiation on work organization.

No new global pact or formal update of the agreement that has been registered and published appears in the sources consulted. Nor is there a record of a recent formal mediation before SIMA; the clear reference remains the regional mediation in Madrid by IRMA in 2025.

Strikes and planned strike schedule

In response to the deadlock, SEMAF has announced six strike days aimed at Ouigo's driving staff, approximately one hundred train drivers, on dates of high demand:

• October 30, 2026: 24-hour strike.
• November 2, 2026: 24-hour strike.
• November 6, 2026: partial strike from 06:00 to 12:00 and from 18:00 to 23:59.
• November 9, 2026: same partial strike schedule.
• December 4, 2026: partial strikes in the same time slots.
• December 8, 2026: partial strikes in the same time slots.

These dates cover the All Saints' Day holiday, the Almudena holiday (Madrid), and the Constitution holiday, increasing the potential impact on travelers and the negotiating pressure on the company.

Likely next steps to try to resolve the conflict

With the available information, the most probable scenarios for the coming weeks are:

• Reactivation of direct negotiation and the working committee
  This would be the most consistent path with the June 2025 agreement: bringing the company and SEMAF back to the table to specify, with a schedule and minutes, adjustments in shifts, rest periods, working hour limits, and mechanisms to monitor compliance with the agreement. Such an agreement could serve as a basis to call off the strikes.
• Opening of a new labor mediation
  If direct dialogue does not progress, the conflict could be referred again to a mediation service: likely IRMA (due to Madrid's role in Ouigo's operation) and, if conditions allow, also SIMA. No official date has been announced for this mediation yet.
• Maintenance of the strike schedule
  In the absence of agreements, the reference scenario is that the 24-hour strikes and partial stoppages will continue, with minimum services set by the Administration and a significant impact on the corridors where Ouigo operates.
• Partial agreement and conditional cancellation
  The 2025 precedent shows that even partial agreements (on a specific dismissal, on the application of certain clauses, and on a monitoring committee) can be enough to suspend strikes. The difference now is that the union emphasizes verifiable compliance guarantees, not just generic commitments.

In summary, the negotiation of Ouigo's agreement is open but stalled at the implementation phase of the current agreement. Resolving the conflict requires landing on very concrete measures for work organization and stabilizing the monitoring committee, with or without the intervention of a formal mediation body.

The Spanish Union of Train Drivers and Railway Assistants (SEMAF) is a specialized professional union that mainly groups train drivers and personnel with railway driving licenses, both in public companies (especially Renfe) and in private and regional operators. Its role in the railway sector is not that of a regulatory authority, but rather as a representative and pressure agent for this key group in train operation and safety.

1. Nature and scope of representation

• Specialized professional union: SEMAF was founded in the 1980s as a specific organization for train drivers and assistants, considering that their interests and risks were not sufficiently addressed in large generalist trade union confederations.
• Represented group: its main base consists of train drivers, assistants, and personnel with driving licenses or experience. Although its historical presence is associated with Renfe, it is also present in other railway companies and high-speed operators such as Ouigo or Iryo, as well as in commuter and Rodalies services.
• Material scope: it focuses its action on everything affecting train driving: driving and rest times, training, licenses and certifications, shift organization, service-related remuneration conditions, staffing, and especially operational safety.

2. Main union functions

a) Representation and collective bargaining

• Defense of labor and professional interests: it negotiates with companies (Renfe, Adif in its area, private operators) and with the Ministry of Transport the working conditions of the group: salaries, bonuses, shifts, rest periods, geographic and functional mobility, career progression, etc.
• Participation in agreements and accords: it intervenes in the negotiation of collective agreements and specific sector accords. In Ministry of Transport notes, SEMAF is cited as one of the “trade union centers” with which investment increases, staffing, and regulatory changes in railway maintenance and safety are agreed upon.

b) Union action and pressure capacity

• Calling strikes and mobilizations: SEMAF has led nationwide train driver strikes affecting the entire network (AVE, long and medium distance, commuter, private operators). These actions seek to force changes in maintenance, staff reinforcement, and safety improvements after relevant accidents or incidents.
• Coordination with other unions: in recent conflicts, its call has been supported or expanded by other organizations (CCOO, UGT, CGT, sectoral railway unions), extending the strike beyond the driving group to the entire sector.

c) Legal advice and defense

• Assistance to members: it provides labor and union advice to its members, support in disciplinary proceedings, claims regarding working conditions or pay, and, when necessary, defense before courts in collective or individual conflicts.
• Collective conflicts: it can promote formal collective conflicts to challenge company decisions or regulations considered harmful to the train drivers' group.

3. Role in safety and railway policy

• Specialized voice in safety: after accidents such as those in Adamuz or Gelida, SEMAF has formally denounced to authorities the deterioration of the network, pointing out potholes, catenary defects, or maintenance shortcomings, and has requested criminal responsibility for those responsible for infrastructure safety.
• Preventive service stoppage: it has urged train drivers not to resume circulation (for example, in Rodalies) if they do not consider sufficient safety guarantees exist, using strikes as legal cover for these decisions.
• Interlocutor in regulatory changes: it participates in dialogue tables with the Ministry and public companies when reforms of driving times, emergency communication protocols, or reinforcement of the State Railway Safety Agency are discussed. This interlocution gives it a relevant role in the practical shaping of railway safety policy.

4. Institutional competencies and limits

• Not a public authority: SEMAF does not set minimum services, does not officially investigate accidents, nor can it declare infrastructures safe or unsafe; these functions belong to the Government, the State Railway Safety Agency, and network managers.
• Power based on representation: its competencies derive from labor legislation and its presence: establishing union sections, standing in elections, negotiating agreements if it has the required representativeness, calling strikes, and participating in occupational health bodies.
• De facto influence: although it does not legally regulate the system, the centrality of the train driver in operation means its collective decisions (strikes, safety warnings, refusal to drive without guarantees) have a direct impact on mobility and the political and regulatory agenda of railways.

In summary, SEMAF is a specialized and highly influential union actor in the Spanish railway system: its formal function is the labor and professional defense of train drivers, but through negotiation, mobilization, and its technical authority in driving matters, it effectively conditions company and public decisions on maintenance, safety, and railway service organization.

In the last five years, the available information clearly identifies at least three major strike calls led by train drivers with direct impact on high-speed trains in Spain. Two were nationwide (led by SEMAF and other unions at Renfe and across the sector) and one specific to Ouigo train drivers. Additionally, there have been other railway strikes that have occasionally affected high-speed services, but not always called specifically by train drivers nor focused on that segment.

1. Difficulty in an “exact” count

The sources consulted (general press, economic press, institutional statements, and the newspaper Demócrata) do not record an official census separated as “high-speed train drivers' strikes.” The calls usually:

• Cover all railway personnel (driving, onboard staff, maintenance…), although SEMAF, the train drivers' union, plays a central role.
• Mix services of high speed, long distance, medium distance, and commuter/Rodalies.

Therefore, the data that can be offered is a minimum verified number of calls in which:

• Train drivers are the main or explicit actor in the negotiation.
• A specific and significant impact on AVE/high speed is documented.

2. Nationwide call in 2022 (Renfe, including high speed)

In 2022, CCOO, UGT, and SEMAF called five strike days at Renfe in a context of agreement negotiation and loss of purchasing power due to inflation. According to the sector summary collected by specialized press on railway conflicts between 2021 and 2026, the sequence was:

• Call for several strike days at the end of November and early December 2022.
• Effective strike day on November 24.
• Cancellation of the rest after reaching an agreement with the Government and Renfe management.^[3]

News summarized the impact as a relevant effect on railway service, including AVE, although without a precise breakdown of high-speed trains canceled in the texts consulted.

3. Major train drivers and railway staff strike in February 2026

The most important conflict in the period is the strike on February 9, 10, and 11, 2026, called by the Spanish Union of Railway Train Drivers (SEMAF) and the General Works Committee of Renfe, with support from other unions (CCOO, UGT, SFF-CGT, Railway Union, Alferro, etc.). It affected:

• The three high-speed passenger operators: Renfe, Iryo, and Ouigo.^{[Demócrata – art. 129686]}
• Several freight companies.

The Demócrata articles on the “keys to the train drivers' strike” and on minimum services detail that:

• The Government set minimum services of 73 % in High Speed and Long Distance and 75 % in Commuter services during peak hours.^link
• Approximately 330–350 high-speed and long-distance trains were canceled among the three operators.^link
• The demands focused on railway safety, staff reinforcement, and stopping outsourcing, following the Adamuz and Gelida accidents.

According to general press, on February 9, during the strike, an agreement was reached between the Ministry of Transport, Renfe, Adif, and the major unions, which led to calling off the last two days for most workers.^[9][14] The pact included:

• Up to 3,600 new positions at Renfe and Adif.
• Reinforcement of network maintenance until 2030.
• Additional commitments on safety and a monitoring committee.^[12][16]

Some minor unions (such as CGT and SF) maintained their strikes, but the bulk of the high-speed train drivers' strike was partially called off with this agreement.

4. Specific Ouigo train drivers' strike in 2026

Already in October 2026, agencies and media report a specific call by the Ouigo Spain train drivers' group:

• Six strike days (two 24-hour and four partial) spread over the All Saints, Almudena, and Constitution holiday periods.^[1][2][6]
• Reasons: excessive working hours, abusive shifts, lack of rest, and working conditions at the company.
• Potential impact: thousands of travelers affected on the high-speed routes Ouigo operates between Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Zaragoza, Valladolid, etc.

The information consulted does not yet show a final result of the conflict (agreement or cancellation), as it is a recent call within the same year 2026.

5. Other railway strikes with partial impact on high speed

Besides these three major calls directly or mainly linked to train drivers, other strikes promoted by the Railway Union and minor organizations were recorded in 2026, with lower participation (around 1–2 % of staff) and limited effects on high speed, such as:

• The day of July 15, 2026, with two AVE trains canceled in the morning.^link
• Another call at the end of July, with five high-speed trains canceled.^link

Although these protests also affect AVE, their demands are less linked to the high-speed train drivers' group strictly and more to the entire staff and issues like air conditioning or freight policy.

6. Summary

• Minimum number of strike calls with train drivers' prominence and clear impact on high speed (2021–2026): 3:
  • Renfe strike in 2022 (agreement, inflation) – partially called off after agreement.
  • Train drivers and railway staff strike in February 2026 – largely called off after agreement with Transport.
  • Ouigo train drivers' strike in 2026 – ongoing or without clear final result in sources.
• Results: agreements that strengthen employment, maintenance, and safety in the case of major nationwide strikes; open or pending conflict in the case of Ouigo.