The unions have fully entered into the negotiation of the investiture proposing five days of 24-hour strike at Renfe and Adif throughout Spain. The workers oppose the agreement between the PSOE and the ERC to transfer Rodalies to Catalonia, which would affect between 2,000 and 2,500 people from the two public companies.
Although there are still almost no details of the transfer, the unions intend to paralyze the circulation of trains in Spain (except for the minimum services that are set) on November 24 and 30 and December 1, 4 and 5. These last days are the days before the Constitution Bridge.
Pedro Aller, deputy general secretary of FeSMC-UGT, explained yesterday that "we don't see what it can contribute" for the workers to move to another company. "It has no logic".
From Barcelona, the Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, responded to the unions by assuring that "workers come first and their rights and labor mobility are guaranteed". The former mayor of Gavà, who participated yesterday in the inauguration of the Smart City Expo Barcelona, insisted on the fact that "Renfe will not disappear from Catalonia". The minister recalled that the pact between her party and ERC does not provide for the transfer of lines that go beyond Catalonia, because the law does not allow it.
The unions are confident of being able to reach an agreement, although they are willing to assume the high image cost that involves such unpopular measures as a strike that ends up affecting a good part of society, especially that which has no other alternatives mobility The unions do not rule out toughening the strikes on bridge days.
Aller recalled yesterday that in 2010 the unions and Renfe already reached an agreement on a partial transfer of Rodalies to Catalonia. But in that case it did not involve a transfer of people. Only the ownership of the Rodalies service was transferred to the Generalitat. Neither the operating company (Renfe) nor its material and human resources were transferred. "In 2010 we negotiated and reached an agreement", said Aller, to give an example of how to act in this case.
From now on, the two parties (unions and company) are obliged to negotiate with the mediation of the labor authority to try to reach an agreement. Aller believes that Catalonia can determine everything it considers about the management of Rodalies without the need for workers to be transferred. "We want to detach it from a political agreement", he adds.
The stoppages are also in protest of the privatization of Renfe Mercaderies.
The Generalitat assured that it "guarantees" and will "watch over" workers' rights. The Minister of Territory, Ester Capella, insisted that "the agreement on Suburbs includes the guarantee of the mobility and labor rights of the workers" by the public company that will take over the service, and that it will be integrated by the Generalitat and the State.
Since the agreement was made public, all the unions have criticized it for the lack of information regarding the working conditions of the workers. If the PSOE and Sumar finally manage to go ahead with the investiture, initially only the tracks of lines R1, R2 and R3 will be crossed.
