Spanish freight transport Straßengüterverkehr is facing stoppages on 23 and 24 December 2026. The trade union Comisiones Obreras, or CCOO for short, has initiated mediation proceedings ahead of a possible strike, according to employers’ associations. The dispute concerns earlier retirement list for professional drivers without reductions.
The employers’ association Fenadismer said it had received a corresponding notification from the SIMA mediation and arbitration service. Spain’s freight transport association CETM also confirmed to the newspaper El País that it had received notification of the strike announcement. According to the report, two days have been scheduled immediately before Christmas and on Christmas Eve.
The union intends to provide information about the planned protests at a press conference on Monday, 16 November. According to public broadcaster RTVE, when asked, CCOO initially did not itself confirm the strike announcement, but referred to this date. The notification to employers and the actual holding of a strike must therefore be distinguished.
At the heart of the dispute are so-called reduction factors for the retirement age. These are intended to enable the drivers concerned to retire earlier because of their working conditions, without having to accept reductions as a result. The union criticises delays by the state administration in processing the documents required for this.
The demand is not new: in October 2025, trade unions and major employers’ organisations in the sector jointly submitted applications for corresponding provisions for employed drivers. This is stated in a published document from the Spanish Congress of Deputies. According to the latest reports, no decision has yet been made on the requested provisions.
Fenadismer opposes the announced industrial action. The association points out that employers had supported the application for earlier retirement. In its view, any protest should be directed at the social security ministry responsible. The association intends to take part in the mediation, but called on CCOO to withdraw its strike plans.
The association also warns of harm to transport companies and supply chains during the Christmas trading period. It is not known how many employees might take part or which deliveries would be affected. It is also unclear whether the mediation will lead to an agreement. The warning about economic consequences is the employers’ side’s assessment, not a confirmed forecast.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).