On the bustling Gran Via boulevard in Madrid, demonstrators, predominantly women, gathered outside the flagship Bershka store, chanting slogans such as “That much profit is our sacrifice.” Similar protests took place in seven cities nationwide, including Barcelona and Seville.
Carolina Albarran, a veteran employee with 33 years of service at Zara, emphasized the disparity between the company’s soaring profits and the need for equitable distribution among its workforce. “Inditex is reaping unprecedented profits, and it’s imperative that workers share in these gains,” Albarran asserted.
Following the announcement of a 5.4 billion euros annual profit and a 28% increase in dividend payouts, Inditex shares surged to record highs. With flagship brands like Zara, Stradivarius, and Massimo Dutti employing 28,000 shop workers in Spain alone, accounting for nearly 15% of the company’s 36 billion euros in sales, employees are advocating for a fair share of the profits.
Spain’s leading trade unions, UGT and CCOO, rallied behind the protests ahead of the Easter holidays. Despite the demonstrations, the stores remained operational during regular business hours, with workers congregating outside during their off-shift periods.
While Inditex declined to comment on the protests, union leaders revealed a letter from the company expressing a willingness to engage in discussions regarding employee demands in April.
Among the demands put forth by the unions are increased working hours for part-time employees, a mandated minimum number of weekends off annually for all staff, additional bonuses for long-serving workers, and enhanced benefits.
In response to mounting pressure, Inditex implemented a 20% wage hike for shop workers in Spain last year and extended a one-off bonus of 1,000 euros for the current year. Globally, the company reported a 9% increase in salaries for its 161,281 employees in 2023, with an average annual salary of 28,726 euro
