The penultimate meeting of the ERE of Vodafone has resulted in a new improvement in conditions that put an agreement on track that would result in the departure of 898 workers of the telecommunications operator, 27.4% of the workforce, which means that the group will employ 2,730 employees after completing the process.
Following last week’s strike and rallies by the staff, the team’s management has announced Zegonathe new owner of the company, have included a new employment guarantee until 2026 (December 31, 2025), as well as compensation of 3,500 euros additional for outgoing employees with a salary of less than 40,000 euros.
These conditions, together with the substantial improvement over the initial, pyrrhic offer by the fund, seem to pave the way for the acceptance of the file and the signature by a significant part of the union representation next Wednesday, the deadline for the month of negotiations set by law to reach an agreement.
“It’s either fear or death,” they say. THE WORLD union sources, who stress that the alternative to no agreement is to face collective dismissal with the legal minimum, as the company has reiterated that it will do. UGT has announced that tomorrow it will submit to an assembly the acceptance or not of the agreement, which will determine the signature next Wednesday, although no surprises are expected in the acceptance by the staff.
Among the concessions made by Zegona is the possibility of a first period of voluntary memberships with the right of veto by the management and the acceptance of early retirements for those born in 1967 with ten years of seniority. These early retirees would leave with a payment of 80% of their salary for a period of between four and six years depending on the age at which they leave the company.
In general, workers will receive compensation of between 33 and 45 days per year worked, with a limit of 24 monthly payments, and will be provided with health insurance for three months and a relocation plan that will last nine months. In addition, several vulnerable groups and workers aged 55 or older will be protected from collective dismissal.
Tense negotiations
The negotiation process has been marked by tension between the parties and the high level of mobilisation of Vodafone workers. The telecommunications sector has been marked by collective dismissals over the last 20 years, although the exit conditions have been generous, at least in the large operators.
However, the initial negotiation offer of the fund (24 days per year worked) broke with this trend, compared to the 50 days offered in the previous ERE. This has led the workforce to mobilize with demonstrations that have exceeded a thousand attendees and a strike last Tuesday.
Along the way, the ERE has also taken on a political tone with opinions divided between the Government with Sumar showing its support for the workforce and calling for moderating the impact of the file and the socialist side showing a more moderate position and closer to that of the company after having approved the sale.
“Specifically, they have committed to guaranteeing the continuity of the service and are considering significant future investments (…), and to guaranteeing a level of employment that allows them to compete effectively with other operators,” the Government stated in a response to Congress on the commitments that Zegona had made when taking over operations.