https://www.dialog-igmetall.de/nachrichten/agreement-of-guarantees-for-spanish-workers-at-healthcare
25.04.2024, 21:04 Uhr
Agreement of guarantees for Spanish workers at Healthcare
- 13.10.2015
- International
On October 6th, a "Guarantee Agreement" for workers who have been segregated from Siemens SA into the new Siemens Healthcare, S.L.U, was signed at the headquarters of Siemens SA in Tres Cantos (Madrid). This "Safeguards Agreement" was reached on September 29th between the management of Siemens SA, Siemens Healthcare, SLU, and the Siemens SA works council.
A report from Ferran Navarro Soriano, representant of Spain in the Siemens Europe Committee:
This agreement is an improvement in the conditions of segregation compared to regulations of Spanish legislation for such situations and concerns both the Healthcare Division of Siemens, SA, as well as workers in various areas of infrastructure that support the transferred business. The agreement came into force on October 1st, 2015, when the workers were transferred to the new company.
The mentioned "Safeguards Agreement" is the fruit of a long and complicated negotiation. The signatories understood that dialogue was the basis for understanding and the agreement. This "Agreement", is based on two pillars: 1. the applicable Collective Agreement and 2. the legal representation of workers.
Regarding the first point, the document ensures the implementation of the Collective Agreement of Siemens SA, effective at all times for workers affected by segregation and also guarantees both individual and collective conditions for the future employees. The "Life Insurance" is also guaranteed and the "Pension Insurance" is provided as in the collective agreement for Siemens SA.
Regarding the second point, the agreement ensures the representation of workers transferred to Siemens Healthcare, SLU, and sets a timetable to maintain the mandate of the union representation. The new company is committed to "maintain and respect " this mandate.
This "Safeguards Agreement" represents a new step to improve the relationship between the company management and the legal representation of workers. The document was signed by the majority of the unions in the works council of Siemens SA, where CCOO (the majority with 7 union representatives) and ATIS (1 representative) signed the agreement unanimously, while of the 5 members of the delegates of the Interdepartmental Committee of the UGT union only one 1 representative signed.
From the viewpoint of the legal representation of workers in Siemens SA "it is not the best agreement", but, in the words of Beatriz Gomez Morante, president of the Interdepartmental Committee of Siemens SA, a "guarantee of the rights of workers both individually and collectively and of a union representation for workers and segregated workers".
» a Spanish version of this report can be downloaded by the link (Healthcare-ESPANA.pdf) above