The Calsina Carré transporters from Girona have called a 24-hour strike to demand better wages and denounce the “breach of the company”. They ask that the 7.5% salary increase included in the agreement be applied to all the variable bonuses they perceive, among which there are incentives for mileage or for loading or unloading. “The company, however, refuses and proposes a change in the remuneration model, which in practice means that we will continue to lose,” says the spokesman of the strike committee, Antoniu Cracana. The stoppage affects 52 workers. The management of Calsina Carré sees the strike as completely “unjustified”, says that they have made a “substantial” improvement proposal and regrets that the strike committee has abandoned the negotiation.
According to the UGT and CCOO unions, the strike at Calsina Carré in Pont de Molins (Alt Empordà) has been called due to “the company’s intransigence, which aims to change the entire remuneration system that had been applied historically”. The focus of the litigation, they explain, is the 7.5% increase that was set in the agreement. The strikers demand that this increase not only be applied to the base salary – as has already been done – but that it also be extended uniformly to the variable bonuses received by the carriers.
“They are incentives related to concepts such as mileage or loading and unloading”, specifies Cracana. “Since we have seen that the company remains entrenched, that is why we have decided to go ahead with the strike,” he adds.
In addition, Cracana also criticizes that in 2008, with the first crisis, they accepted a 38% cut in these incentives – which amounted to “between 400 and 500 euros per month” – and that, “despite having made us many promises, never taken back.” For now, the first of the 24-hour stoppages has been called for Monday, but the strikers are already warning that they could be repeated “cyclically” if the conflict is not resolved.
Completely “unwarranted and untimely”
For its part, the management of Calsina Carré SL sees the strike as completely “untimely and unjustified”. Its general manager, Alba Carré, explains that this year the company has presented a remuneration proposal for salary improvement “that exceeds the agreement”. The company committee of Pont de Molins, where there are 250 workers, accepted it. But not so the group of carriers.
The general manager says that, during the negotiation with the strike committee, Calsina Carré has made the effort to strengthen her proposal “upwards”. And here, he criticizes that during the meeting that was held at the Labor Court this morning to try to reach an agreement, the strikers did not accept the proposal for mediation – which Calsina Carré did – and they got up from the table
With regard to the incentives, Alba Carré specifies that, with the proposal they presented, although some have not reached a 7.5% increase, others exceed this percentage (as is the case of the transport of dangerous goods ). “But if you take into account the average of all of them, our proposal exceeds this 7.5%”, he emphasizes.
In a statement, Calsina Carré SL says that the strike does not have the support of the works committee, and that it has been called by a “minority group” of transporters. In fact, he expects her to have a “smaller” following, because there will be drivers who won’t follow her and will go off route throughout this weekend to avoid her.
“We understand the protest as untimely and unjustified; despite the situation, we remain willing to encourage dialogue and find solutions for the good of the workers’ working conditions”, concludes Calsina Carré.