New labor framework for this year’s staffing stability in the Canary Islands
The stability of the supply chain in the Canary archipelago has a new labor protection framework for the current year. The Directorate General for Labour has formalized the registration and publication of the wage tables applicable for 2026 for Compañía Logística Acotral, owned by Ontime, and its regional operations subsidiary, Acotral Distribución Canarias—the company that supplies Mercadona supermarkets on the islands.
The agreement, reached between the management of the transport company and workers’ representatives from Comisiones Obreras and the Unión General de Trabajadores, updates the pay set out in the VI Collective Bargaining Agreement of an operator deemed strategic to ensure the flow of fast-moving consumer goods between the islands.
Wage update amid pressure on road transport costs and talent retention challenges
The economic update to working conditions comes in a context of strong pressure on operating costs for road haulage and a growing difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified personnel at Canary logistics nodes. The new pay structure covers in detail both monthly base salaries and specific activity allowances, as well as scheduled presence hours or overtime hours across the workforce in operations movement, administration and workshops. The unions and representatives of the logistics firm believe these improvements will help secure operational headcount and prevent tensions along distribution routes.
Income improvements for roles linked to goods movement and inter-island connectivity
The professional categories directly tied to the movement of goods and island interconnectivity record an increase in both fixed and variable earnings. Drivers in the general category will earn a monthly base salary of €1,340.57 in this year, complemented on a fixed basis by a workplace allowance of €580.50 per month and €15.00 for each hour of presence. For its part, personnel performing duties as mechanical driver—taking on more technically complex tasks over fleets—will receive a guaranteed pay of €1,461.29 as the monthly base salary.
Revised pay for distribution base management and office roles
The company’s distribution bases and offices across the archipelago also see a reshaping of their compensation. For command and control positions in stevedoring and routes, first-tier traffic chiefs will have a monthly base salary of €1,450.43 and a workplace job allowance of €608.42 per month. Meanwhile, the entry-level salary for administrative assistants is set at €1,278.00 per month, complemented by a €245.31 allowance.
Specific wage supplements reflecting the geographic realities of the Canary Islands
The geography of the Canary Islands and the high reliance on maritime connections for inter-island freight determine the creation of specific wage supplements. Mechanical drivers assigned to the intermodal ship business unit will receive a monthly supplement of €726.94 to compensate for waiting times and boarding on inter-island ferries. Drivers assigned to purely land-based intermodal operations will receive a monthly amount of €480.17. These compensations aim to mitigate wear on crews subject to the punctuality demands of the maritime routes connecting the archipelago’s ports.
Surcharges for work on weekends and public holidays in the Canary Islands calendar
The collective agreement also establishes a system of surcharges for shifts that coincide with weekends and public holidays in the Canary Islands work calendar. Workers will receive a fixed supplement of €106.52 for services performed on national or international Sundays and public holidays. This is supplemented by a payment of €8.59 per hour on ordinary Sundays and €10.74 per hour on public-holiday days, with the overtime hour on a holiday valued at €22.13. Maintenance allowances in mainland Spain are raised to €52.02 per day, broken down into €7.02 for breakfast, €17.68 for lunch, the same figure of €17.68 for dinner, and a €9.64 daily pernoctation allowance.
Social protection measures and loyalty support, including family assistance
Social protection measures and loyalty plans are completed with the update of family assistance and coverage for professional contingencies. Workers will receive an annual school allowance of €174.56 per child and a disability allowance set at €58.68 per month. The vacation fund is set at €607.83 for mechanical drivers and €549.23 for common drivers. The length of service of workers at the island bases will be paid through a quinquennial scale ranging from 2.00% of the base salary for the first consolidated five-year period up to a maximum of 11.00% for employees who accumulate ten five-year periods with the transport company.
Higher compensation under accident and occupational illness insurance for this year
Indemnities derived from work accident insurance and occupational illness policies also increase their insured amounts for this year. The policies contracted by Acotral for cases of absolute permanent incapacity, serious incapacity, or death of the employee due to a work accident will guarantee an insured capital of €122,769.86, while general life coverage for ordinary death is set at €73,661.91. With this update of the wage tables, the logistics group seeks to ensure social peace and consolidate its distribution operations in a high-geographical-complexity market such as the Canary Islands.
The entry “New labor agreement for transport firm supplying Mercadona in the Canary Islands from island ports” was published first on encanarymaritime.com.
