Collective bargaining in Barcelona

What is negotiated, and with whom

Collective bargaining covers company-level collective agreements, company accords on specific matters, opt-outs from sector-agreement terms and agreements reached in modification, relocation or redundancy procedures. Each type has different standing requirements and effects.

Identifying correctly who can negotiate — works council, staff delegates, union sections — and which majorities are needed is the first step to making what is agreed valid.

Preparing for the table

Before sitting down, you need to know the current agreement, the cost of each proposal, management’s objectives and the real limits. Separating the essential from the tradeable gives room to negotiate without improvising.

The relationship with representatives matters too: listening to their priorities and understanding the mood of the workforce. Training in both Psychology and Business Administration helps me read both dimensions, the human and the financial.

During negotiation

Minutes must faithfully reflect what was discussed and the commitments reached. Good faith in bargaining is a legal obligation, not a courtesy. Keeping what is said at the table consistent with what is communicated to staff protects the company’s credibility.

If talks stall, mediation and arbitration can be considered. In Catalonia, the Tribunal Laboral de Catalunya offers out-of-court dispute resolution procedures.

Drafting what was agreed

An ambiguous clause can generate years of disagreement. I review the drafting so the text is clear, workable and consistent with the law and any higher-level agreement. Collective agreements must be registered and published as the law requires.

Afterwards, I support interpretation and the work of the monitoring committees.

Negotiations that aren’t about a full agreement

Much everyday collective bargaining is not about signing a full agreement but about specific accords: a working calendar, a remote-work policy, a variable-pay scheme, an equality plan, a digital-disconnection protocol or the terms of a collective relocation. These accords are less visible but have equal or greater practical impact, and drafting them also demands precision.

Preparing these negotiations with the same seriousness as a full agreement stops arrangements intended as temporary from becoming entrenched terms that are hard to revisit.

The relationship beyond the table

Employee representatives are a permanent counterpart. Respecting information and consultation rights throughout the year — not only when there is something to negotiate — builds trust that shows in difficult moments. I also advise on that ordinary relationship: what must be shared, when and how, and how to respond to representatives’ requests.

Knowing which agreement applies

The applicable collective agreement depends on the company's real activity, not only on what appears in the registration documents. Companies with several activities, or that have grown into new ones, sometimes apply an agreement that no longer fits. The difference affects salary tables, working hours, leave and classification. Confirming the correct agreement is the first step before negotiating anything.

Elections and the representatives' rights

Workers' representatives are elected by the staff, and the company must not interfere in the process. Once elected, representatives have rights to information, consultation and paid time for their duties, as well as protection against dismissal and sanctions. A good working relationship starts by respecting those rights and providing information on time, which also reduces the risk of formal disputes.

Company agreements and opting out

A company-level agreement can regulate certain matters with priority over the sector agreement. In addition, when there are economic, technical, organisational or production reasons, a company may, after a consultation period, stop applying some conditions of the applicable agreement, such as the salary tables or working hours. This mechanism has strict requirements and, if there is no agreement, can lead to mediation or arbitration.

Both routes require preparation: realistic figures, a clear explanation of the reasons and proposals that the other side can defend to the staff.

Negotiating in good faith

The law requires both parties to negotiate in good faith. In practice, this means meeting, exchanging proposals and justifying positions, not simply presenting a final text. Keeping minutes of each meeting protects the company if the process is later challenged.

Preparing the company's position

Before sitting down, the company should know its own numbers: real salary costs by group, hours actually worked, absenteeism, turnover and the cost of each proposal over the life of the agreement. Representatives will bring their own analysis. Arriving with verified data and a clear order of priorities makes the negotiation shorter and the result easier to apply. It also helps to anticipate how each clause will be read by managers who must apply it day to day, not only by those who negotiated it.

What to expect from the first conversation

In our first contact you tell me what happened and what worries you. I will tell you whether any deadline requires immediate action, which documents to gather and, broadly, which routes are available. If we decide to work together, you will receive the scope of the engagement and the fees in writing before anything starts.

You do not need to have everything in order or know the legal name for your situation — that is precisely my job. The one thing that matters is not letting time slip by when deadlines are involved. I work in Spanish, Catalan and English.