Renault España guarantees job reservation for workers who fulfill military service

Publication of the agreement in the Official State Gazette

The General Directorate of Labour has registered and published the interprovincial collective agreement of Renault España, SA, in force from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028. The agreement, signed on 18 June 2026 between the management of the car company and the trade union sections of UGT and CCOO, was resolved by the Director General of Labour, María Nieves González García, by means of a Resolution dated 30 July 2026, and appears in BOE No. 199, of 14 August 2026, Section III, with the official reference BOE-A-2026-17751.

Protection of the job during military service

The agreement expressly includes, in its Article 29, section B, the regulation of absences due to compliance with military service and substitute social service. The provision establishes that the worker who joins the ranks on an official or voluntary basis shall have their job reserved for the entire time they remain performing military service, plus two additional months. The entire period is counted as seniority in the company.

Among the guarantees detailed:

• Workers in military service are entitled to receive the extraordinary bonuses provided for in the agreement.
• Those discharged with temporary leave of more than one month may return to work, provided the appropriate military authorisation is obtained.
• Time worked during such temporary leave counts for the purposes of additional holiday for seniority.

Substitution and reinstatement regime

The text establishes that, when a permanent employee occupies the temporary vacancy of a colleague in military service, the latter shall recover their position upon returning. If the substitution was carried out by a person outside the company, the returning permanent employee shall cease without entitlement to compensation, provided they have been notified at least eight days in advance; otherwise, the corresponding compensation shall be paid to them.

The provision also foresees that the failure of the permanent worker to return within the period of reservation of their position shall give rise to the termination of their employment contract, without prejudice to acquired rights.

A comprehensive agreement for the Renault workforce

The agreement signed between Renault España, SA —whose workforce is distributed among workplaces in Castilla y León, Andalusia and Madrid— also provides for an annual working time of 1,681.75 hours for the 2026-2028 three-year period, a reduction of 144 hours with respect to the maximum legal working time of 40 hours per week, as well as an extensive catalogue of paid leave, study permits, working time reductions for vocational training and a detailed leave of absence regime.

The agreement shall enter into force retroactively from 1 January 2026 and shall remain in force until 31 December 2028, with automatic annual renewal unless denounced by either party with three months’ notice.

Relevance to labour rights

The inclusion of the military service clause in a collective agreement of a company of the magnitude of Renault España reinforces the legal certainty of workers who could be affected by the performance of military service or substitute social service. Although Spain suspended compulsory military service in 2001, labour legislation continues to contemplate these situations, and their regulation at the collective bargaining level provides a clear framework for both the company and employees.

Source: Official State Gazette, No. 199, 14 August 2026, Section III (official reference: BOE-A-2026-17751).