Union Challenges Bakery Agreement Classification
The UGT union has initiated conciliation proceedings at the Catalan Labour Tribunal demanding that 365, a chain of bakeries and cafés in the Barcelona region, apply the hospitality collective agreement to its cafeteria staff. Currently, the company applies the bakery sector agreement, which UGT says provides significantly worse working conditions.
The dispute affects 790 workers employed in 365’s cafeterias. UGT argues that the nature of their work, serving food and drinks at tables and terraces, taking payments and attending customers, aligns with hospitality, not bakery operations.
Work Predominantly Matches Hospitality Sector
The applicable agreement must be based on the predominant activity carried out, not on the company’s unilateral decision.
According to UGT, both the Catalan and national hospitality labour agreements explicitly include cafeterias and establishments where food and drink are served for on-site consumption. The union maintains that the classification should reflect actual work performed, not the company’s self-defined category.
UGT is calling for a change in the collective agreement applied to these workers to ensure fairer wages, working hours and benefits consistent with the hospitality sector. The action specifically targets only cafeteria employees and does not include staff at the central bakery facility.
Reported by beteve.cat, ugt.cat, Metrópoli Abierta - Urban Life, metropoliabierta.elespanol.com, betevé.
