Striking Acrylicos Vallejo workers win salary and safety agreements

After 26 days of escalating action, striking workers at Catalan paint manufacturer Acrylicos Vallejo have won a major victory at the bargaining table. Vallejo produces game color and model color line paints most commonly used in miniatures and war games. According to a post on the Internet Bluesky page of the Catalan Labor Organization CGThas signed a pre-agreement that will guarantee worker pay increases, a parent assistance program, new workplace harassment protocols and occupational safety improvements.

As Polygon previously reportedNearly all 85 workers began a 16-day partial shutdown in late November that escalated into a full strike on Dec. 11 — a year after Vallejo invested in company ProA Capital for just under $53 million. price acquisition. In the days leading up to the announcement, CGT union president Patricia Pérez described alleged conduct by Vallejo management last year in an article First published in Catalan Commissioned by Poder Poper Rascal News English Translation.

Pérez said the alleged conditions at the Vallejo plant were not only dangerous but also inconsistent with Spanish law. In addition to a lack of employee showers (a requirement for companies that handle hazardous chemicals) and machinery that was in disrepair, Perez claimed that panels in the factory’s ceiling frequently cracked and fell, causing rainwater to fall onto the factory floor. The translator described an alleged “authoritarian” work environment where unreasonable expectations for worker productivity led CGT to file a lawsuit against Vallejo management. Perez also claimed the company’s security protocols were “biased” and painted “victims”[s] Harassment as a Perpetrator. An employee who filed a complaint against the company was reportedly fired three days later due to “low productivity.”

Perez told PoderPopular that the labor action prompted Vallejo management to “put aside any discussions about productivity” and begin “real negotiations.” Although these initial wage claims were presented as “minimums” in the Poder Popular article, the final agreement announced in the CGT Social post included: an increase in wages of up to 3,000 euros per year and a social paternity benefit of 500 euros for the birth of a child. There is an education allowance of €200 per child under 25 years of age – for single-parent families this amount must be multiplied by 1.5.