The conflict in Petronor's locker room is coming to court today

The Bilbao Social Court is holding a trial today on the complaint filed by several unions against Petronor . They accuse the company of applying the "substantial" changein working conditions . The dispute, based on the alleged covert increase in working hours for shift workers, has led toan indefinite strike  , which remains in force.

According to the unions, as a result of the relocation of the locker room building, workers have been given an additional 30 minutes per day to change clothes and shower, which has so far been part of the working day. The staff requires compliance with the conditions set "for more than 50 years" and the current agreement.

UGT and CCOO, which make up the trade union majority, reached a pre-agreement with the management of the company, but the workers' assembly decided not to vote, preventing it from being ratified. In view of this situation, Petronor announced that he was "obliged" to seek a court decision.

In a statement, the company has explained that six million euros have been invested in new locker rooms to "improve people's safety" and ensure access to facilities with appropriate clothing and protective equipment.

On the other hand, according to the TU trade union, the pre-agreement "did not meet the minimum requirements of the workers". They criticize the fact that the company only offered to compensate for the 15-minute working day "without accepting the reason for the increase" and that the text contained "ambiguities affecting the convention and restricting rights".

"The intention is clear: we don't want to work more than eight hours, "trade union sources say, denouncing"abuse, cuts and lack of staff and maintenance. " 

The indefinite strike in Petronor continues until the conflict in the courts is resolved.