Redundancies planned at Antena 3

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In September 2003, the Spanish television company Antena 3 announced a redundancy procedure that could affect around a quarter of its workforce, prompting strike action by employees.

Antena 3- one of the main television companies in Spain, with a nationwide audience - has recently been taken over by Planeta and De Agostini. In September 2003, the new owners announced a redundancy procedure (expediente de regulación de empleo) involving 390 workers, or 24% of the Antena 3 workforce, referring to losses of EUR 100 million at the television channel in the first half of 2003. However, workers' representatives claim that the company's balance sheet has been artificially adjusted in order to justify the collective redundancies, and that in fact 2003 has seen an increase in advertising turnover and audience figures.

The Antena 3 workers' committee called three days of strike action in September and October in protest at the redundancy procedure and against what it considers to be a further threat of outsourcing. During the strikes, the provision of minimum services has been ordered, particularly in terms of news programmes, and this has been criticised by the workforce. The Trade Union Confederation of Workers’ Commissions (Comisiones Obreras, CC.OO) is to contest the order requiring these minimum services. The dispute has received wide media coverage, and when the Minister of Labour appeared in one of Antena 3's programmes, members of the audience held up banners asking for intervention by the Ministry.

The company has offered to open negotiations on compensation for the planned redundancies, offering 39 days' pay per year of service instead of the statutory 20 days' pay per year.