Convened by the trade unions, a car caravan toured the Rioja Alavesa on Wednesday through Labarca Fog, Laguardia, Villabuena, Oyón, Villabuena, Samaniego, Biasteri and Labarca Fog. The unions LAB, UGT, ELA and CCOO have asked the employers for “real negotiation” to sign an agreement that is not yet signed after 22 months.

Following the expiry of the agreement for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018, negotiations for the new agreement began in December 2018. After months without agreement, consensus on the new convention was approaching in March 2020, in the absence of specific points on social issues and possible annual increases. However, the advent of the pandemic paralyzed the talks.

The negotiating table has been suspended since 15 July, the date of the last meeting between trade unions and employers. The unions proposed approving the social aspects that had been agreed so far and signing the 2019 hike, with the commitment to reconvene in September and link the ups of the next two years.

The employer SEA undertook to take the proposals and meet on 29 July, but suspended it the day before considering that the trade union proposal was unacceptable.

Mobilisation for decent working conditions

The trade unions have mobilized to demand a decent work agreement, the renewal of the sectoral agreement ‘is nothing but a problem of the lack of will of the wineries’. Should the situation continue, the mobilisations will "intensify", the same sources have been added.

They find it incomprehensible that employers give up the 2019 wage hike: “Last year there was no pandemic, the wine was sold and the profits are in the pockets of businessmen.”

Despite the uncertainty generated by COVID-19, trade unions have explained that since September all wineries are working 100%, buying grapes at cost price, while the price of wine continues to rise.