ANAFRIC is calling for intensified negotiations on the new State Collective Agreement for the Meat Industries following the mediation session held this Monday before the Interconfederal Mediation and Arbitration Service (SIMA), which concluded with the procedure being adjourned to allow for a new meeting of the Negotiating Committee.
The mediation had been initiated by ANICE, FECIC and AGEMCEX following difficulties that arose during the latest meetings concerning the collective agreement. The organisations that initiated the mediation raised the possibility of a failure by the trade union organisations to comply with their duty to negotiate in good faith.
For their part, ANAFRIC and ANAGRASA are also formally involved in the proceedings as members of the Negotiating Committee, and the need to make progress at the negotiating table towards a scenario that supports the future of the sector has been defended.
During the mediation, the trade union organisations rejected the existence of any deadlock in the negotiations and reiterated their willingness to continue working towards an agreement. The discussions highlighted that the main differences continue to focus on issues such as wage increases, working hours and the compensation and absorption mechanism, although it is considered that there may be greater scope for reaching common ground on other matters.
A new opportunity for negotiation
Following the discussions and the intervention of the mediators, the parties agreed, also in line with the position defended by ANAFRIC, to hold a new meeting of the Negotiating Committee on 6 October before continuing with the proceedings before SIMA.
At this upcoming meeting, the employers’ representatives are expected to put forward a new proposal, while the trade union organisations will also set out their positions in greater detail, with the aim of determining whether there is sufficient scope to establish a negotiation timetable and continue bringing the parties’ positions closer together.
The mediation procedure has been adjourned until 16 October, when the parties will meet again at SIMA. The minutes establish that, if the Negotiating Committee agrees beforehand to continue holding meetings, the parties undertake to close the mediation procedure with an agreement.
For ANAFRIC, this scenario should be used as an opportunity to restore a negotiating dynamic based on concrete proposals, concrete responses and genuine efforts to bring positions closer together.
The association considers that the objective should not be to prolong the dispute, but rather to use the upcoming meetings to make progress towards a comprehensive collective agreement that is sustainable for companies and helps improve labour relations.
The collective agreement must also address the problems faced by companies
ANAFRIC recalls that, since the beginning of the negotiations, it has been defending its own platform aimed at incorporating into the new collective agreement responses to some of the main problems currently affecting companies in the meat industry.
These include absenteeism and the management of temporary incapacity situations, productivity, flexibility and work organisation, occupational health and safety, professional classification and the need to adapt certain provisions of the collective agreement to the productive reality of companies.
The association has also argued that any instrument used to analyse absenteeism must subsequently result in concrete measures that make it possible to prevent and manage it more effectively. This position was already put forward at the latest meeting of the Negotiating Committee, where the possible creation or integration of an Observatory on Occupational Health, Absenteeism and Productivity was discussed.
For ANAFRIC, the negotiations must make it possible to improve working conditions while also providing companies with tools to improve their organisation, productivity and competitiveness.
The association will continue to participate actively in the upcoming meetings and to advocate for a modern, balanced and legally secure collective agreement, with particular attention to the needs of the small and medium-sized enterprises that make up a significant part of the meat industry.
