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Spain Ends Tripartite Talks on Work-Safety Overhaul, Will Negotiate Only With Unions

The decision leaves the reform without employer backing, complicating its prospects in Congress.

Overview

  • Secretary of State Joaquín Pérez Rey closed talks with the CEOE after nearly two years and around 20 meetings.
  • He accused business leaders of using delaying tactics and "playing with workers' physical and mental integrity."
  • The employers' association countered that a real negotiation was blocked and disputed the ministry's account.
  • The draft updates the 1995 law to recognize psychosocial risks, create territorial prevention delegates, and require in-house prevention services at large firms, with Labour citing 796 deaths and about 628,000 incidents last year.
  • Without a tripartite pact, parliamentary approval is uncertain, with parties like Junts seen as hard to secure and no date set to conclude a unions-only agreement.