Andorra Union Slams Labour Law Reform for Ignoring Private-Sector Rights

The Unió Sindical d’Andorra (USdA), the country’s only union with effective private-sector representation, has sharply criticised the government’s reform of the Labour Relations Law, arguing it entrenches a system without real collective rights for private-sector workers.

In a statement released Sunday, as the bill advances through parliament with amendments accepted until 14 January, USdA highlighted the disconnect between government narratives and labour realities. The union, which negotiated Andorra’s sole private-sector agreement with the Andorran Business Confederation (CEA) through the Economic and Social Council, distinguishes itself from public-sector groups like the Sindicat d’Ensenyament Públic (SEP), which function under distinct legal rules.

USdA warns that conflating public and private sectors in public discourse creates an illusion of union consensus that masks private-sector shortcomings. It accuses Minister of the Presidency, Economy, Labour and Housing Conxita Marsol of exploiting a 23 September 2025 pact with CEA—confined to technical updates in Title IV on worker representation—to promote a broader reform that ignores structural flaws.

Official data underscore the critique: just 14 companies have registered collective instruments, with only four holding company-level agreements. Over more than 12 years across three legislatures, Andorra has registered only four nationwide collective agreements, all in public or parapublic entities: the Andorran Health Care Service (SAAS), CASS, CTRASA, and ATS.

The union attributes this record to non-causal dismissal, a provision it claims breaches the European Social Charter, undermines collective rights, and discourages bargaining by leaving workers vulnerable to unjustified terminations. In negotiations with employers, USdA proposed funding to ensure agreement compliance, active promotion of union roles, and strong protections, but says CEA and the government dismissed them all, yielding a limited reform that sustains insecurity and power imbalances.

USdA holds Marsol, the head of government, and parliamentary groups Democrats and Citizens Compromised responsible, calling on them to revise the bill or endorse a deficient model. “The problem is not a lack of dialogue, but a lack of political will,” the union states, adding that without collective agreements, safeguards against arbitrary dismissal, or effective rights, social dialogue in Andorra remains a fiction.