Update, 10th November 2026: Mataró City Council set minimum services for the 11 November strike, requiring key municipal functions to operate with reduced staff, according to mataro.cat. Nurseries will have directors and at least one-third of regular staff present, while the Can Noè Adult School and Municipal Music School have no minimum services established. Mataró Bus will run at 25% capacity during peak hours, and municipal companies PUMSA and Aigües de Mataró will ensure essential services continue.

Workers assigned to minimum services during the general strike on Wednesday 11th November must attend their shifts, even if they would otherwise strike, according to the CCOO trade union. Anyone who expects to be unable to reach work should discuss the problem with their employer in advance, the union advises.

For Barcelona commuters, the Generalitat, Catalonia’s regional government, has set a minimum public transport service of 25% at peak times. The requirement covers the metro, Rodalies regional commuter trains, trams and buses, so workers travelling to their shifts may face reduced services.

Minimum services are the activities that must continue during a strike to protect essential provision. The Generalitat sets them for areas including healthcare, education, security and transport, and individual workers are designated to cover the required shifts.

What to do if you are assigned a shift

CCOO says a worker selected for minimum services must receive personal, written notice in advance. Once designated, the worker must attend the assigned shift; failing to do so can lead to disciplinary action.

If a worker considers the designation abusive, CCOO says they can sign the notice “received, not in agreement” and challenge it through union or legal channels. The union advises doing so without refusing to comply with the designation.

For someone who already expects difficulty getting to work, the union recommends raising it with the company before the shift. The employer could then designate someone else or provide alternative transport.

The Generalitat’s minimum-services information page lists information about strikes for which minimum services have been established. Workers can also consult CCOO’s guide to the right to strike.

Delays on the journey and missed shifts

Enrique Rodríguez, CCOO’s head of union action, told betevé that Article 37.3(g) of the Workers’ Statute does not apply to disruption caused by a strike. The provision concerns circumstances in which workers may be excused from work; Rodríguez distinguished a strike from other causes:

“It is neither climatic, nor is there a government order, nor can it be considered force majeure.”

Rodríguez considers that an employer cannot sanction a worker who is required to attend, has already started the journey and arrives late because a picket line has blocked the road. That is his assessment of those circumstances, rather than a guarantee that every absence or delay will be treated in the same way.

In an essential service, a late arrival could mean that the person due to be relieved has to extend their shift until their replacement gets there, Rodríguez said.

For someone who is not assigned to minimum services but wants to work and cannot reach the workplace because of strike disruption, Rodríguez expects that employers will deduct the missed time from pay in most cases.

Strike rights and essential services

Employees are free to join the strike or continue working, according to law firm Garrigues. Workers do not have to tell their employer in advance whether they intend to strike, although those designated for essential services must cover their assigned duties.

Garrigues says that pay and social security contributions are not made for the time an employee takes part in a strike. Participation does not reduce holiday entitlement and is not itself grounds for disciplinary action; failure to cover required essential services can be.

During the strike, emergency departments and special hospital units are required to maintain their services. For public transport, the 25% minimum applies during the peak periods from 6.30am to 9.30am and from 4.30pm to 9pm.

Sources: betevé, Equipo Editorial CambiosLegales, Ara.