The public company, which operates under Spain’s Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, officially terminated the employment contracts yesterday, Monday 6th July. The collective dismissal follows a long-running dispute linked to the liberalisation of the motorway section, which was made free to the public to alleviate congestion on alternative routes.
Trade union CCOO has strongly criticised the move, highlighting that the redundancy packages provided are the absolute legal minimum. Staff will receive 20 days of salary per year worked, capped at 12 monthly payments, alongside an average supplementary payment of roughly 7,500 euro per individual. The union argued that these exit terms fail to properly compensate employees for the disruption and financial impact caused by the sudden job cuts.
A major point of contention centres on the fact that affected workers have already exhausted 16 months of unemployment benefits during prior temporary redundancy schemes (ERTE). CCOO claimed that during that period, SEITT maintained that the suspension of toll charges was merely a provisional measure.
Furthermore, the union condemned SEITT for refusing to offer redeployment opportunities within other public enterprises overseen by the Ministry of Transport, or allowing a specialised recruitment agency to support staff in finding alternative work. SEITT also rejected covering any relocation costs for those who received voluntary transfers to other Spanish regions. CCOO expressed deep disappointment with how staff have been treated, noting that negotiations were heavily restricted by spending limits imposed by the Ministry of Finance.