About 400 people participated on Saturday in Albacete in the first mobilizations called by the CCOO in Castilla-La Mancha in order to… We demand salary improvements that allow us to regain the purchasing power lost in recent years. The goal is as mentioned … The union aims to activate the workforce for collective bargaining in 2026 and put workers at the forefront of the process. The rally, held under the slogan “We work more, but we earn less,” brought together workers from all over the province and included interventions from Secretary General of CCOO CLM, Javier Ortega, and Secretary General of CCOO Albacete, Paco Gomez. And the regional president of the Service Union, Carmen Olivas.
Ortega confirmed this “These mobilizations are not, as the employers say, preventive demonstrations.”But it constitutes “the beginning of collective bargaining in 2026.” He defended that negotiation “is not sitting down to negotiate with employers and signing an agreement,” but rather “listening to workers, going to their workplaces, collecting their opinions and proposals, and defending them in platforms, in mobilization, and in conflicts if necessary.” That’s why I insist on it CCOO wants “working people to be the ones to lead the negotiation processes.”
Secretary General of CCOO Castilla-La Mancha He also called on employers to confront the negotiation process strictly and abandon talk of absenteeism from work.. He pointed out that “absenteeism is an unjustified absence from work, but neither vacations, illness, nor having to care for a child or the elderly are considered absenteeism.” In this context, Ortega pointed out that one of the big challenges the union faces is that Castilla-La Mancha stops occupying third place from the bottom in terms of salaries.
End the loss of purchasing power
For his part, Paco Gomez explained that the mobilization comes after “dozens of rallies held throughout the province,” through which the start of collective bargaining is being promoted next year. In his opinion, the process is based on “a scenario of loss of purchasing power in the last five years,” given that Prices ‘rose much higher than wage growth’, Creating an “unsustainable” situation for many workers. For this reason, he highlighted the importance of “organizing, mobilizing and motivating” employees “to fight and defend their collective bargaining rights.”
Gomez lamented that despite the fact that “the company’s productivity is growing and business margins are breaking records,” “Salaries are at the lowest levels, around 1,200 euros, continuing.”. He added to this reality that in Castilla-La Mancha “we have the highest working hours”, which is why he encouraged demands for “above average salary increases”. He stressed that “the struggle for our rights is also the struggle for our dignity.”
In the simple case… 2026 will be a key year with five sector agreements under negotiation: Metals, tableware, wineries, pastry shops, hospitality, Affects 16,500 workers. In addition, three other agreements remain banned, including the Campo Agreement, affecting more than 14,000 people.