Spain: social partners at PSA Vigo plant sign agreement supervising work on Saturday

This agreement, which will only last until December 31, 2012, comes 8 weeks after the signature of the new company agreement.  the site’s management was going to rely on the new Article 41 of the State of Workers as defined in the labor law reform in force since February 11 (see our dispatch No.  120125), allowing companies justifying economic, technical or organizational reasons to substantially amend collective or individual working conditions as regards working time, shift systems, pay, work organization and performance.  “By applying article 41 of the State of Workers and by relying on the economic and productive arguments mentioned in the article, the management wanted work on Saturday to be the new norm to replace a day off during the week” explained the MCA-UGT union from PSA-Vigo.  This is why, after mandatory consultation with the works council, unions signed an agreement which slightly improves the framework defined by law.  This agreement is for 2012 only.  The conditions will be renegotiated in 2013, hoping that they will be more advantageous for employees, as the plant’s workload should increase with the manufacture of new cars.  In a communiqué to the employees, they remind that, if there are no volunteers to make up the teams required to work on Saturday, the company reserves the right to apply the law and impose work on Saturday with no form of compensation.