The strike was imminent, but late on Friday afternoon an agreement was reached between the unions and the workers of fruit and vegetable exporting companies in Almeria. This agreement yielded good results for the workers and exports will therefore not be affected by the consequences of a strike.
Despite the fact that the margins for producers in the province have declined dramatically in recent years, Almeria has established itself as an exporting province. Under the previous working conditions, the entire production system was in jeopardy, so introducing preventive measures to ensure the viability of the activity had become a necessity.
By signing the agreement, the workers' requests were accepted. There will first be a 2.5% wage increase in the next campaign, in August 2017, and then another 1% increase in August 2018. Moreover, a minimum of 160 hours of labour per quarter, between November and May, will be guaranteed, and a minimum of 45% of the employees will be offered permanent contracts. Also, from 1 September this year normal working hours will be reduced to a maximum of 48 hours per week.
