The Spanish unions CC.OO and UGT have confirmed the strike involving industrial vehicle drivers, as well as bus drivers, urban public transport, and healthcare transport services, specifying its schedule: the strike will last for seven days, spread from October to December 2024—namely on October 23, November 11, 28, and 29, and December 5, 9, and 23. If no agreement is reached by the final date, the strike will become indefinite.
The unions' main demand is the option of early retirement for drivers, considering the risks and demanding nature of their work. Specifically, they are requesting reduced age coefficients for retirement and, as a provisional measure, partial retirement with a replacement contract, allowing drivers to voluntarily retire earlier by accumulating their working hours, replaced by younger workers.
In the face of these demands, the unions accuse the government and employers' associations of a "systematic blockade," noting that this issue has been on the table for twenty years and stalled for over a decade. The chosen strike dates are crucial for transportation, coinciding with the Black Friday period and the Christmas holidays. The strike will impact 250,000 employed drivers, a figure that could rise to half a million when including self-employed drivers. The two unions represent about 70% of the employed drivers.
