“If there is no respect, will there be?” requested the organizers of the protest this Tuesday morning in entrance of the Ministry of Transportation from the stage. “Strike!” the transporters shouted, round 5,000 based on the organizers, gathered in Madrid. ”If there are not any lowering coefficients, will there be?”, they insisted from the sales space. “Strike!” the protesters repeated. The demand for this device, the lowering coefficients – via which a interval labored counts as an extended interval, in order that retirement is accessed sooner – is what justifies the protest earlier than the ministry. It has been nearly 5 months since employers and unions within the sector offered the request to acquire the coefficients with the brand new route activated by the Government, wherein the casualties and accident charges in every exercise are taken into consideration, and with this protest they’re attempting to strain Social Security to provide them an affirmative response.
“We want to reach the end of our professional careers alive!” insisted the unionists who harangued the protesters, employees in one of many sectors with probably the most accidents within the Spanish financial system. Throughout final yr, 93 transporters died throughout their shift and one other 19 on the way in which to work. Only building (164 throughout the day and 14 on tour) exceeds this quantity of deaths. “If we don’t win the coefficients in the offices, we are going to win them in the street!”, the organizers of the protest, from CC OO and UGT, harangued with microphone in hand.
The sectoral heads of each unions have insisted on the urgency of anticipating the retirement for skilled drivers. “We demand reducing coefficients in the transport of goods (truckers and van drivers, those who suffer the most accidents) and passengers (buses). It is a procedure full of obstacles and we are facing the key days of the resolution that the Ministry of Social Security has to carry out,” indicated the consultant of CC OO, Francisco Vega.
Diego Buenestado, from UGT, has thought of that “a 67-year-old worker in this sector cannot be driving a bus or transporting goods, not only because of the risk it poses to him, but also for road safety.” “It’s common sense,” added the commerce unionist. Vega has commented that, though Social Security is learning their request, they protest as a result of “the requests have been registered since October and we are in March, and the regulations establish six months (for the Administration to respond); it is overwhelmingly slow.” It’s been about 5 months.
“We demand that they issue a resolution favorable to the application of reducing coefficients,” earlier than protesting the concession for different teams with out a research just like the one being developed for them. Among these actions are firefighters and forestry brokers, who achieved advance retirement by decree. The implementation of the process for air bathrooms on account of an modification by Junts additionally generated nice anger in different sectors.
Social Security signifies that it’s working intensely to answer transporters and that the dialogue is fixed and on the highest stage. “We are in the process of purifying information and preparing the appropriate reports to continue with the established procedure. Various contacts have been maintained from Social Security and it is in meetings with this group where we have attempted to detail how the procedure is evolving and resolve the queries that have arisen,” they point out from the Elma Saiz division.
Reducing coefficients
The different massive sector that has requested the coefficients with this new route is building, which accomplished the file in July. Along with transportation, there are some 1.6 million employees for whom the unions demand an advance cost in retirement, given the hardship of their actions. Social Security has been warning that it is a “surgical” device, that retirement won’t be introduced ahead in whole sectors, and that the concession shall be restricted to probably the most tough positions (these with better bodily effort, which have extra sick go away and related accidents).
The transport request has the help of each the unions and the sectoral employers’ associations, regardless of the rise in the price of contributions that the concession would suggest for employers. The primary employers within the sector dedicated to this union demand in October 2024, to keep away from a strike. The building request solely has the help of the unions.
The ministry’s warning has the backdrop of a pension system beneath huge strain, with advantages which might be more and more greater (because of the higher salaries of those that retire and the restoration of revaluation with the CPI) and extra quite a few (because of the retirement of child increase).
https://elpais.com/economia/2026-03-10/unos-5000-transportistas-protestan-frente-al-ministerio-de-transportes-para-reclamar-el-anticipo-de-su-jubilacion.html