The Region allocates 176,800 euros to extrajudicial labor mediation.

The Governing Council of the Region of Murcia has approved a direct subsidy of €176,800 to finance labor mediation and arbitration during fiscal year 2026. The aid is intended for the Foundation of the Extrajudicial Office for Labor Conflict Resolution, the entity that manages the Labor Mediation and Arbitration Office (OMAL) and the Collective Bargaining Observatory. The measure is included in Decree No. 156/2026, of 6 August, published in the Official Gazette of the Region of Murcia (BORM) No. 187, of 14 August 2026.

The Foundation of the Extrajudicial Office for Labor Conflict Resolution (Tax ID G-73145047) is a non-profit, bipartite entity established by the most representative social partners of the Region —CC.OO., UGT and CROEM— under the protectorate of the General Directorate of Labor of the Department of Enterprise, Employment and Social Economy. It houses the OMAL, created under the Agreement on the Extrajudicial Resolution of Labor Conflicts of the Region of Murcia (ASECMUR) and consolidated by the III Agreement on the Autonomous Resolution of Labor Conflicts (ASACMUR III), published in the BORM on 27 January 2021, which makes mediation and arbitration available to workers and companies to resolve their disputes, thereby fulfilling the mandate of Article 37 of the Constitution.

A direct award for reasons of public interest

The decree, approved by the Governing Council at its meeting of 6 August 2026 at the proposal of the head of the Department of Enterprise, Employment and Social Economy, authorizes the direct award of the subsidy without a public call, under Article 23 of Law 7/2005, of 18 November, on Subsidies of the Region of Murcia and Article 22.2(c) of Law 38/2003, of 17 November, General Law on Subsidies, given reasons of public, social and economic interest. The aid appears as a nominative subsidy in the regional budgets —Law 3/2025, of 23 July, extended for 2026— and in the Department’s Strategic Subsidies Plan.

The total expenditure of €176,800, financed entirely with the Autonomous Community’s own funds, is distributed between two projects:

• €108,800 for the operating expenses of the extrajudicial labor conflict resolution office, charged to budget item 20.05.00.315A.485.03 (nominative project 21084).
• €68,000 for the Collective Bargaining Observatory (nominative project 43518).

What is financed: from mediation to the study of collective agreements

Among the subsidized actions are the processing of all mediation and arbitration requests submitted to the OMAL, the management of records, summons, notifications and minutes, and the promotion of collective bargaining through assistance to negotiating committees, works councils and employee delegates. Also included are answering queries on strikes and collective agreements, collaboration with the Economic and Social Council of the Region of Murcia and the CES of Spain, with the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy and with the CARLA, the training of mediators and participation in conferences and congresses.

The Collective Bargaining Observatory will be responsible for documenting mediation and negotiation meetings, preparing the 2025 Activity Report, the Report on Collective Bargaining in the Region of Murcia and monthly reports on sectoral collective bargaining.

Deadlines, payment and justification

The subsidized actions are those carried out between January 1 and December 31, 2026. Payment will be made in a single instalment and prior to the justification, without requiring a guarantee given the social nature of the aid. The entity must submit to the General Directorate of Labour, within three months from the end of the execution period, the activity report and the economic justification report, with deviations of up to 20% allowed and with recoverable VAT excluded from the subsidizable expenditure.

The subsidy guarantees a public and free service that directly affects workers and businesses in the Region of Murcia: an out-of-court dispute resolution system that relieves the courts and prevents conflict, while allowing the evolution of collective bargaining to be monitored. The decree, issued in Murcia on August 6, 2026, is signed by the president of the Autonomous Community, Fernando López Miras, and by the Minister of Enterprise, Employment and Social Economy, Luis Alberto Marín González, and takes effect upon its approval.

Source: Official Gazette of the Region of Murcia (BORM), No. 187, August 14, 2026, I. Autonomous Community, 1. General Provisions, pp. 19557-19566 (official reference: A-140826-4031).