the mythical General Motorslater called Opel-PSA and now known as Stellar, Today was the key day of the negotiation of the new collective agreement for the next five years. But there was something much more important at stake: the future of the largest industry in Aragon in the face of the uncertain scenario that opens up in the automobile sector due to the leap to electromobility. If the unions (who value it positively) approve the company’s latest proposal, Figueruelas will have a rosy horizon even beyond 2030.
The plant’s management announced its latest offer to the unions today. An ultimatum after an express negotiation carried out in terms of respect that have not at all resembled the forms of negotiations of the last decade. For the closing meeting they had left the biggest surprise: more than fulfilling the main demand of the works council. In other words, a plan for the future beyond 2027 that would seal the viability of the largest industry of Aragon. In practice, it means that the multinational led by Carlos Tavares has committed to installing at least one of the STLA platforms that the company uses to assemble the electric car with which Stellantis will work from 2027.
The proposal also includes an important salary agreement which responds to a 5% rise by 2023, as well as a linear payment of 400 euros in terms of arrears, the equalization of the group’s benefit pay with that of Zaragoza (half was received in Figueruelas in 2023) and a payment for signing an agreement of 1,000 euros for each worker that the company has announced this Friday. The salary increase corresponding to each of the years 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 will be the one corresponding to the Consumer Price Index (IPC) as of December 31 of the previous year.
Besides, The management undertakes to convert 350 temporary contracts into permanent ones, of which 172 belonged to the relief contract modality. The rest are temporary employees who worked between 66% and 75%. Now they will do it full time.
The truth is that it is not yet possible to speak of a pre-agreement, since the works council has not provided a response, but it is foreseeable that the majority unions will sign the proposal. The UGT leader at the plant, Sarah Martin, has valued very positively the principle of agreement. “The company has covered almost all of the UGT’s claims and has even improved some of them,” he acknowledged to this newspaper, pointing out that there are still fringes to be covered, such as an employment plan that does not convert all temporary workers into permanent ones.