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Iberian unions' 'zombie deals' could be called Spanish practices, but the term for absurd union rights is a British invention
Spanish practices are really a British invention. The term evolved over centuries until it was taken to mean the absurd, inherited rights of some UK trades unionists. Old Fleet Street was a classic of the kind.
But do Spanish practices exist in Spain? If you look at the way collective bargaining is carried out, you can see why they might. Deals are automatically extended if employers and unions cannot reach a fresh agreement. Because of this, 40% of agreements are nine years old or more; 30% exceed 13 years old. Spaniards call these zombie deals.
Civil service demarcation rules can make things especially bad. A minister or mayor who wants to lessen the number or use of official cars immediately has a problem. The cars' drivers can only, according to union deals, drive cars. They cannot be moved to another job.
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the prime minister, has already dealt with the biggest abusers – Spain's air traffic controllers. Their exaggerated overtime rules produced average annual wage packets of €350,000 (£308,000). Reforms by the Zapatero government could soon nail open-ended collective bargaining deals.
For the moment, though, Spain does suffer a little from something that is, ironically, a British stereotype carrying – offensively to some – a Spanish name.
