Andorra Extends Labour Code Amendment Deadline to January 23

The deadline for submitting amendments to the bill modifying Andorra's Labour Relations Code has been extended until Friday, January 23, following a request from the Andorra Endavant parliamentary group.

The initial deadline expired on January 14, after Demòcrates per Andorra had sought but later withdrew its own extension request. Joan Torra, treasurer of the Unió Sindical d'Andorra (USdA), welcomed the prolongation, urging lawmakers to take sufficient time for a thorough review. "They should take all the time they need, and if the law is to be modified, it should be done properly," he said.

Torra noted that the agreement reached with the Andorran Business Confederation addressed only the fourth chapter of the code, which covers collective bargaining agreements and works councils. The goal was to streamline their creation and operation. He pointed out that despite the law being in place for 12 years, only four works councils exist in Andorra, with new attempts hampered by high worker turnover.

The Labour Relations Code extends far beyond that section, Torra emphasised, highlighting untouched areas such as non-disciplinary dismissals. "As long as we have non-disciplinary dismissals in Andorra, we are not comparable anywhere," he said. The union had prepared a 60-page document proposing changes across the entire code, in contrast to the roughly 10 pages agreed upon with employers, which focused solely on the fourth chapter.

Each side relied on its own legal advisors during negotiations, Torra added. The USdA's lawyer, who contributed to the original 2008 law and its 2018 update, suggested reforms to labour inspection, judicial processes, and worker complaint procedures.