Spanish big stores sign two-year deal

The employers’ association representing some of the largest retail groups in Spain, including the department store chain, El Corte Inglés, the supermarket business Carrefour and the furniture company IKEA, has agreed a pay deal with unions which runs from the start of 2021 to the end of 2022.

Pay increases by 2.0% over this period, with a 1.0% increase backdated to 1 January 2021 and a further 1.0% in January 2022. This is below current inflation, but is an improvement on the pay freeze the employers were pressing for.

The agreement includes new arrangements for homeworking, with employees being provided with the necessary equipment and paid €25 a month to cover any extra costs.

€1 = 87p (16 April 2021)