Erkoreka accuses trade unions of “fearing” and “lying” to the Indar movement
- The Ertzaintza agents are calling in protests in recent weeks for the renewal of the employment agreement that “has not been renewed since 2012”, and an increase of 1,100 euros in wages, but the Security Advisor says the agreement has been renewed or modified four times since 2012. He says the unions were negotiating with the government, until last week a “associative movement” “terrorized” the unions and rose from the table.
In the Ertzaintza it seems that the environment is far from calm: Following the Governing Council held on Tuesday in Busturia, the Security Advisor, Josu Erkoreka, has spoken against the movements of the Ertzaines of recent weeks, and in fact hundreds of Ertzainas have concentrated on the council meeting place, convened by the four police unions, ErNE, Esan, Euspel and Sires. The meeting heard calls for “real negotiation” and the resignation of Erkoreka.
Labour agreement
The Ertzaina, which defines itself as “asyndical”, begins the mobilization of the newborn Indar movement to demand the renewal of a labor agreement that has not been renewed since 2012. Subsequently, the unions have joined demands and mobilisations. Erkoreka today pointed out that “it is a resounding lie” that the convention has not been renewed in the last 11 years. On the contrary, it states that 3 changes in working conditions with trade unions have been agreed since then (in 2012, 2018 and 2023), and that in 2021 a new career agreement was reached, which has meant a €21 million share this year among the Ertzaines. Erkoreka has ensured that the working conditions of the Ertzainas have improved “significantly” in recent years.
Salary increase EUR 1,100
Beyond the renewal of the labour agreement, the demands of the Indarra movement go further (according to the scoreboard they disseminated on social networks and then eliminated). Among others, they require a linear increase in wages of 1,100 euros, annual increases in CPI or retroactive recovery of purchasing power “lost in the last 10 years”. Erkoreka points out that the wage increase that would affect all Ertzaines cannot be agreed at a sectoral table, that competition is the responsibility of the General Bureau of the Administration and that the limits set by the Government of Spain must be respected.
Call for negotiation
“There was a movement on stage called ‘asyndical’, which intimidated union organizations and imposed their framework, their law, their reflections. It forced those in the middle of negotiations to get out of the table, changing all the strategies and parameters they used for many months to develop their negotiation.” In this regard, Erkoreka has explained the conflict that has occurred in recent weeks between the Ertzainas, their unions and the Government.
In any case, the Interior Minister shows his willingness to continue negotiating with the trade unions, “the negotiation that needs to be done on reasonable parameters”. To this end, it calls on trade unions to calm the tone of the statements and to avoid both “war” and other words “rude and discrediting, which do not correspond to a civilized institutional relationship” used in response to lehendakari Urkullu.
