In Spain, the ‘Convenio Colectivo’ is usually a collective bargaining agreement decided upon by the representatives from the workers (e.g. trade unions) and those in the employers, as a way to establish the minimum working conditions and also other aspects on the working relationship that may apply to those covered from the agreement. There are essentially 2 types of collective agreement:

1) Company-specific Agreements
2) Sector-specific agreements (e.g. agriculture, commerce etc).

The collective bargaining agreements may have geographical limitations e.g. agreement on a Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Andalusia etc.

In true of company-specific agreements, the parties to your agreement might be:

• Committee in the company or employee delegates
• Trade Union representatives
• The entrepreneur or their legal representative.
• In the situation of sector agreements the parties might be.
• The trade unions that are most representative at the national level or with the level in the Autonomous Community.
• Trade Unions for a minimum of 10 per cent in the members with the committees on the company or delegates appointed to represent personnel, from the territorial area or inside the implementation field from the agreement.
• Employers’ associations, given that they include at the very least 10 per cent on the entrepreneurs inside implementation field from the agreement, and which, also, can count on no less than 10 per cent with the workers in your neighborhood concerned.

In all cases, will probably be necessary for all parties concerned to acknowledge the other as being official and valid representatives for any agreement reached to become valid.

In comparison to its content, typically these agreements cover these matters and so are valid assuming none of the articles contravene general employment legislation in force (specifically the Workers’ Statute):

• Minimum economic conditions (wages, indirect remuneration and so forth)
• Work (standard daytime or week; maximum annual working in time hours; rest periods; professional categories; amount of contracts, performance requirements etc)
• Trade union issues (work committees, personnel delegates, rules affecting negotiations etc.)
• Conditions of employment
• Welfare (voluntary improvements on the Social Security benefits)
• Measures for professional promotion.
• Dismissal requirements

The collective agreement also need to make reference for the following:

• The parties towards the agreement.
• Personal, functional, territorial applicability.
• Procedure and scenarios for lodging a complaint contrary to the agreement, along with the prescribed time period limit for formally declaring a similar.

These agreements are typically although not necessarily updated with an annual basis to make certain the salaries maintain line with alterations in the cost of living.