The stoppages in Spain’s meat industry are continuing. Since 9 November 2026, the unions UGT FICA and CCOO de Industria have been calling for strikes at slaughterhouses and processing plants. The dispute stems from stalled negotiations over the industry-wide collective agreement for 2026 to 2029. At the heart of the demands are pay rises of at least the rate of inflation and a significant reduction in annual working hours.
Assessments of the scale of participation differ widely. According to the unions, workforce support was very high during the first two days of strikes; they cite participation rates of between 85 and 90 per cent, particularly at major production centres. The employers’ associations ANICE and FECIC by contrast, say the impact was much lower. For 9 November, they gave a provisional participation rate of around 20 per cent. No independently collected overall data are available so far, so the figures provided by the negotiating parties should be viewed as the respective sides’ positions.
In substantive terms, the unions are calling for wages to be linked to inflation in the new collective agreement and for an increase of at least four per cent in 2026. They are also demanding a binding reduction in working hours. ANICE and FECIC say they have offered phased adjustments over several years and stress the economic limits on making larger commitments. No specific results signed by both sides were available by Wednesday; negotiations were still considered deadlocked.
The effects of the industrial action vary by region. Production stoppages and missed shifts were reported at major slaughtering and processing centres. Some parts of the supply chains experienced delays, while smaller businesses were able to temporarily ease shortages using existing stocks. Reliable nationwide production data were not yet available on Wednesday.
The industrial dispute comes in a week of further strikes in Spain, raising the profile of the issue and adding to the strain on the negotiating climate. Union sources say further action is possible if employers fail to make an offer that workers consider viable. The associations, for their part, insist on the need for planning certainty and point to the industry’s international competitive conditions. Whether the negotiating parties will move closer together this week remains uncertain.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).