Avatel and workers’ representatives reached a preliminary agreement on the company’s collective redundancy plan on Wednesday, reducing the maximum number of compulsory departures to 383. The initial proposal, presented last month, covered 444 employees out of a workforce of 1,325. The total could still reach 444 if all departures take place voluntarily.
The compensation agreed ranges from 33 to 45 days’ salary per year worked, with a limit of 24 monthly payments. The same terms will apply to voluntary and compulsory departures. Avatel will open a voluntary exit phase after the legal process is complete, but the company retains the right to reject applications. Workers aged 55 to 61 will be covered by the applicable Social Security special agreement.
The reduction of 61 compulsory departures is spread across the company’s operating divisions, according to union sources. The Television division will cut up to 25 forced exits, linked to the introduction of flexible working hours; the Technical Area will reduce them by 15, and the Business Area by 21.
The agreement was reached after the sixth meeting of the negotiating committee. Unions said employees would receive a draft of the proposed operating-flexibility conditions on Wednesday. Television employees who refuse the change to working hours will be included in the collective redundancy process. The new schedule keeps the eight-hour working day and provides for 48 hours of weekly rest, with days off allocated on a rotating basis, as well as at least 12 hours between shifts.
The current process is Avatel’s third workforce adjustment in two years, following restructuring rounds in 2024 and January 2026 that together resulted in 600 departures. The company has attributed the latest measure to weaker financial results and the failure of earlier plans to reverse declining profitability. It has also cited the need to repay public grants under the Plan ÚNICO for 5G and broadband network projects that were not carried out.
Sources: El País Economía.