Unió Sindical d’Andorra condemns the government's premature media leak of its 2027-2030 housing rental bill,

The Unió Sindical d’Andorra (USdA) has condemned the government for leaking its proposed housing rental bill to the media before an urgent Economic and Social Council (CES) debate, calling it a flagrant disregard for the consultative body’s role.

In a statement released Sunday ahead of Monday afternoon’s CES meeting on 22 December, the union criticised the prior media exposure of the bill, which establishes the legal framework for habitual and permanent residential rental contracts from 2027 to 2030. The USdA described the move as particularly serious, arguing it undermines the CES as a space for social dialogue, sidelines social partners, and prevents thorough discussion of a critical issue like housing access.

The union stressed that CES protocols demand advance provision of all relevant information, ample time for review, and conditions for productive talks leading to agreements. Instead, it accused the government of shutting down debate, forcing through its stance without changes, and deliberately ignoring social agents’ contributions and expertise. The cited urgency, the USdA argued, does not excuse the institutional disrespect or the rushed scrutiny of a proposal with major social consequences.

The statement also voiced outright rejection of the government’s housing and salary policies. It highlighted repeated measures favouring large property owners and powerful real estate interests—such as rent defrosting—while denying private-sector workers inflation-adjusted pay rises, leaving them with eroding purchasing power and growing job insecurity. The union called the refusal to establish a property registry for identifying major holders “inacceptable,” seeing it as evidence of prioritising private gains over the public good.

These policies, according to the USdA, fail to address workers’ ongoing impoverishment, exacerbate challenges for retirees and pensioners facing rising costs, drive labour precarity, widen social divides, and threaten national unity. The union called for a “profound change of course” to centre social rights, purchasing power safeguards, decent work conditions, and genuine access to affordable housing for all residents.