The unions ask for “guarantees” from the Government that it’s going to scale back the working day to 35 hours for central Administration workers in February | Economy | EUROtoday

The Government and civil servant unions met this Wednesday to debate a number of pending points, past the wage settlement they reached on the finish of final yr. At this assembly they mentioned, amongst different matters, the discount of the working day to 35 hours for staff of the General State Administration (AGE). The Executive’s dedication is to approve this contraction of working hours in February, however the vegetation at the moment are elevating doubts in regards to the method. As CC OO and UGT have criticized in a joint notice, the Ministry of Public Function has proposed that the discount in working hours be accepted via the General State Budgets, which within the opinion of the unions would unjustifiably delay the Executive’s dedication.

“UGT and CCOO are very disappointed with the meeting in which the Government has told us that the ideal thing for them is to wait for the General State Budgets of 2026 and thus implement the 35-hour day in the AGE with the rank of Law, which would delay its implementation, for which we have expressed our disagreement,” the unions say in a joint press launch.

A Public Service spokesperson has declined to touch upon the assembly. According to the unions, they’ve demanded “guarantees” for the implementation of the 35-hour day within the AGE “next February or early March.”

In the Nineties, many public administrations already utilized the 35 hours, however not the state. In 2012, cuts brought on by the Great Recession eradicated this modality and the prohibition remained till the 2018 Budget. Since then, a number of regional and municipal Administrations have recovered or carried out today. If accepted now, the lower wouldn’t solely profit the AGE’s 246,000 staff, since some native firms are ruled by state rules.

The different most consultant union within the Administration, CSIF, additionally calls for a discount in working hours to 35 hours. But he has not participated on this Wednesday’s assembly as a result of it takes place throughout the framework of the Agreement for a twenty first Century Administration, signed in 2022 and which this union didn’t signal. CSIF emphasizes that in addition they demand that the Government fulfill its dedication that the Public Service approve the 35 hours in the beginning of 2026 via a decision. Next week there may be one other assembly through which CSIF does take part and in it it is going to additionally insist on the enlargement of teleworking within the Administration.

“We hope that, at the next meeting, which will be on Wednesday, January 28, we will have certainties and progress. Otherwise, we reserve the possibility of undertaking the actions that we consider appropriate to bring these completely essential matters to a successful conclusion,” CC OO and UGT denounce of their press launch, through which in addition they handle the restoration of partial retirement within the AGE.

Partial retirement

The facilities spotlight that the Executive’s dedication was to get better the sort of retirement of workforce earlier than the tip of 2025, after having been suspended since April 1. “This is a priority issue for both organizations and vital to be able to continue along the good line of negotiation that has been opened with the new Public Service team,” say CC OO and UGT. Regarding the partial retirement of official and statutory personnel, the facilities denounce that “they are unfulfilled commitments of the Agreement for a 21st Century Administration, whose validity expired in December 2024, and which it is equally urgent to close.”

The final Public Service settlement with the unions was sealed on the finish of November, a wage pact that ensures a cumulative enhance in payrolls of 11% till 2028. From the final month of 2025, a rise of two.5% is utilized and in 2026, one other 1.5%. These will increase have an effect on the three.5 million public staff.