Sant Julià de Lòria Approves €70K Staff Pay Rise for 37-Hour Week

Sant Julià de Lòria's local council has approved changes to staff compensation and organizational structures, adding roughly €70,000 to its annual personnel budget. The measures, proposed by the Desperta Laurèdia majority and passed despite opposition from two former consuls now in the minority, aim to improve work-life balance and make public sector jobs more appealing amid nationwide recruitment challenges.

Key updates include revisions to internal regulations, departmental schedules, and compensation rules, alongside adjusted organigrams. A core change introduces a 37-hour weekly schedule with continuous daily shifts, which council leaders expect will boost productivity without disrupting public services—and may even enhance them through better rostering.

This year's personnel budget stands at €6,574,720.43. The approved reclassifications and pay adjustments will increase spending by about €69,228.94, or 1.05%. Officials highlight a public sector crisis across Andorra, where private-sector opportunities draw talent away from civil service roles. In Sant Julià, with an average staff age of 49, many employees will soon reach pre-retirement age, underscoring the need to attract younger workers to ensure service continuity.

To address this, the council plans new hires in 2026, including a head for cultural buildings services, a coordinator for the Centre Cultural Lauredià, a maintenance operative for the same facility, a civic inspector, a cook, someone to lead urban planning and cadastre functions, and a cadastre coordinator. These positions are projected to add €242,958.82 annually to the payroll—less than 3.7% of current spending. Combined with the recent adjustments, total personnel costs would rise by around 4.75%.