Minimum services of 10% in the León intercity bus strike

The Ministry of the Presidency of the Regional Government of Castilla y León has established the minimum services that must be maintained during the nine days of strike action in intercity passenger transport in the province of León. The measure is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León no. 209, dated October 28, 2026, through ORDER PRE/1105/2026, dated October 23, signed by Minister Luis Miguel González Gago. The regulation comes into force on the day of its publication and affects all staff covered by the Provincial Collective Agreement for the Intercity Passenger Transport Sector of León.

The call for action was registered with notice on October 16, 2026, before the Territorial Labor Office of León by the FsSMC of the General Union of Workers of León and the Citizenship Services Federation of the Workers’ Commissions of León. The strike extends to full days, from 00:00 to 24:00 hours, on the following dates:

• October 30, 2026.
• November 2, 11, and 24, 2026.
• December 4, 8, 9, 23, and 30, 2026.

The order is based on Article 28.2 of the Spanish Constitution, Article 10.2 of Royal Decree-Law 17/1977, of March 4, on labor relations, and Article 40 of Law 21/2002, of December 27, on Economic, Fiscal, and Administrative Measures. Since the strike affects the competencies of several ministries, the determination of guarantees corresponds to the head of the Ministry of the Presidency. The text also cites doctrine from the Constitutional Court and the High Court of Justice of Castilla y León regarding the balance between the right to strike and essential services.

Ten percent of trips and reinforcement during peak hours

Annex I, proposed by the Ministry of Mobility, Digital Transformation, and Artificial Intelligence, establishes the regime for regular public passenger services of general use owned by the Community. In general, 10% of the authorized trips will be maintained, with a guarantee of at least one round trip, and lines that only have one daily round trip will not be reduced.

In the time slots considered peak hours—from 7:00 to 10:00, from 13:30 to 16:00, and from 18:00 to 21:00—the minimums are increased according to the volume of each line:

• Between 1 and 3 authorized trips: one round trip per slot.
• Between 4 and 7 trips: two round trips per slot.
• More than 7 trips: three round trips per slot.
• Suburban services, within a 10-kilometer radius of the capital: 50% of the authorized trips per slot.

Expeditions that, according to their authorized schedule, begin before the start of the strike shall be carried out in full. Bus station concession companies must guarantee opening, passenger information, and the necessary surveillance for security.

School transport, laboratories, and social service centers

School transport is protected with 100% of expeditions in its joint provision modality, i.e., general use with reserved seats for students. Annex IV, from the Department of Education, establishes as a minimum the presence of one driver on each school route that must be provided on strike days coinciding with school days. In special-use transport, companies will carry out the expeditions of a working day when the group consists of people with disabilities, workers from special education centers, nursing homes, penitentiary centers, essential services, and students.

Annex II obliges Autocares de Castilla y León, S.A.U. to cover the access route to the Regional Animal Health Laboratory of Villaquilambre, departing at 07:45 and returning at 15:00 hours, with one driver on each leg. Annex III, from the Social Services Management, details the day-stay services:

• Eulen Servicios Sociosanitarios, S.A.: one driver and one route assistant for the day centers of León I, León II, Bembibre, Ponferrada, and Cistierna, and the nursing home in León.
• Fundación Real Hospital de la Reina: one driver and one route assistant at the Valle de Laciana residence, in Villablino.
• Aralia Servicios Sociosanitarios, S.A.: one driver and one route assistant at the Santo Martino residence, in León.

User information and appeals process

Affected companies must communicate the designation for minimum services to their staff and display these in a visible place to inform users. The order warns that essential services may not be disrupted by stoppages of the designated personnel, cases which will be considered illegal and will generate liability according to current legislation. Against the resolution, which exhausts the administrative route, an optional appeal for reversal may be filed before the head of the Department of the Presidency within one month, or a contentious-administrative appeal before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Castilla y León within two months.

The order emphasizes that in Castilla y León, the bus is a critical service due to the extent of the territory, demographic dispersion, low density, and the significant proportion of an aging population. The text recalls that a large part of the contracts are rural routes serving a “captive population” with no transport alternative, and that access to work, health, and education depends on these services. With nine strike days spread over two months, the established minimum services condition the daily mobility of thousands of users in the province and the operation of health, educational, and residential centers.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 209, October 28, 2026, I. Community of Castilla y León – D. Other Provisions, pp. 57-67 (official reference: BOCYL-D-28102026-209-9).