Cantabria publishes the collective agreement for colonial grocery store owners for 2026-2029

The Official Gazette of Cantabria publishes this Wednesday, September 30, 2026, in issue number 188, the Collective Agreement for the Grocery Wholesaler Trade sector of Cantabria for the years 2026-2029. The General Directorate of Labor, Social Economy, and Self-Employment, under the Ministry of Industry, Employment, Innovation, and Trade, has ordered its registration in the Registry of Collective Agreements and its deposit via resolution CVE-2026-7528. The text, spanning 31 pages, establishes the labor and salary conditions for the food wholesale sector for four years.

The agreement was signed on July 24, 2026, by the negotiating commission, composed of the business representations of the Cantabrian Association of Food Traders and the Association of Grocery Wholesalers, and the trade unions FeSMC-UGT, CCOO Services Federation, and USO. Following the correction documentation submitted on September 18, 2026, the resolution was signed in Santander on September 24, 2026, by the general director Jaime Gonzalo Alonso Rozadilla, with the code 39000275011982.

The scope of application covers companies and workers with a registered address and activity in Cantabria, or with work centers in the community, whose activity is food warehousing and the wholesale of groceries, beverages, and cleaning and hygiene products. The validity extends from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2029, with automatic notice for review on September 30, 2029. The text recognizes regional application priority over any sectoral agreement or state framework agreement, in accordance with Article 84 of the Workers’ Statute as amended by RDL 2/2024, and expressly prohibits “cherry-picking” between regulations.

Staggered salary increases until 2029

The agreed increases on the salary tables are as follows:

• 2026 Fiscal Year: 2.5% over the final 2025 tables.
• 2027 Fiscal Year: 2% over the 2026 tables.
• 2028 Fiscal Year: 1.25% over the 2027 tables.
• 2029 Fiscal Year: 1.25% over the 2028 tables.

If any category is affected by the increase in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage, a 1% difference is guaranteed, and all economic concepts are revalued by the same percentages. Back pay resulting from the signing will be paid within a maximum of 30 days following publication in the Official Gazette of Cantabria. Seniority is compensated with four-year increments of 7.5% of the base salary, with caps of 10% at five years and 60% from twenty-five years onwards; those exceeding 39,000 euros gross per year do not generate new four-year increments.

Working day, vacations, and wholesaler supplement

The working day is set at 39 hours per week and 1,740 hours per year, although both will take effect from January 1, 2027, according to the first transitional provision. Vacations will be 28 working days, with 15 uninterrupted days between May 1 and September 30. A “Warehouse Workers’ Supplement” is created with annual accrual and progressive implementation: 25% of the total amount in 2026, 50% in 2027, and 100% in 2028 and 2029. Overtime hours are paid with a surcharge of 75% on working days and 200% on Sundays and holidays, with a cap of 80 hours per year.

Hiring, security, and collective rights

Companies must maintain 70% permanent workers on an annual basis, and the fixed-discontinuous contract, the temporary contract due to production circumstances, and the training contract are regulated in detail. The accident and illness policy is increased to 30,000 euros for death, total permanent disability, absolute disability, or severe disability. In companies with fifty or more workers, an LGBTI Plan will be implemented with measures for equal treatment, selection, and a protocol against harassment. For the interpretation and monitoring of the agreement, a Joint Mixed Commission is created with three members from each party, with the registered office at the UNIPYMEC headquarters in Cantabria; disagreements will be submitted to the mediation of ORECLA.

The new framework provides stability to the workforces of the wholesale food sector for four fiscal years and consolidates moderate but guaranteed salary increases, in addition to reinforcing protection for temporary disability, security, and representation rights. For companies, the application priority of the regional agreement and the prohibition of “espigueo” (cherry-picking) establish a more predictable negotiation scenario until 2029.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 188, September 30, 2026, section 7.3 Statutes and Collective Agreements, pp. 48599-48629 (official reference: CVE-2026-7528).