Andorra SAAS workers' bonus dispute hearing erupts in sharp clashes

A hearing in the Batllia on the long-running dispute over unpaid performance bonuses (DPOs) at the Servei Andorrà d’Atenció Sanitària (SAAS) began with sharp exchanges between the lawyer for the Unió Sindical d’Andorra (USdA) and the batlle overseeing the case.

Some 150-151 SAAS workers filed the administrative claim nearly two years ago, seeking retroactive payment of DPOs suspended since 2012 under economic containment measures, which were lifted in February 2022. Around 30 claimants attended the session in person. Their lawyer argued the bonuses represent an acquired right that persists regardless of collective agreements, accusing SAAS of discriminating against them compared to public administration civil servants, who received productivity payments to offset the frozen GADA scale. At minimum, he said, payments should cover the eight months from the 2022 derogation until the new collective agreement took effect in October that year, excluding the DPOs.

The USdA lawyer also alleged bad faith by the works council during initial negotiations for failing to disclose the bonuses' exclusion. He proposed 21 witnesses, including Head of Government Xavier Espot, Health Minister Helena Mas, and former ministers Albert Font and Joan Martínez Benazet, to highlight negotiation failures. The batlle rejected nearly all, accepting only SAAS Director General Meritxell Cosan, on grounds that the civil case turns solely on legal compliance, not contextual facts.

Cosan testified that no 2022 objectives existed for payment, as they would have needed setting in June 2021—still under suspension—and the October agreement, negotiated from May onward, omitted the bonuses. SAAS’s lawyer countered that the July 31, 2024, claim fell outside the one-year limitation period from the last possible July 31, 2022, entitlement, and that the DPOs’ conventional nature does not trigger retroactive pay upon derogation. SAAS acted within the law, they argued, noting the April 7 closed collective agreement now recognises the bonuses going forward.

USdA health branch spokesman Àlex Bandera said the fight continues for all SAAS staff, vowing to appeal any adverse ruling and dismissing Cosan’s account. Cosan stated SAAS will await the sentence before considering next steps.