The strike of EMT drivers for the key pre-Christmas dates has been called off.

Just before nine o'clock on Wednesday night, the official communication arrived in the form of a comprehensive seven-page letter. ... The negotiations between the Malaga Transport Company (EMT) management and the workers' committee have been fruitful after several days of discussions. Therefore, there will be no strike during the key days of Christmas, starting this weekend with the lighting of the lights. The two main issues have been resolved: the demand for compliance with travel schedules and a commitment to renew and expand the fleet.

On Monday, November 10, the workers announced the stoppages of single agents. Their demands were not economic. They asked for less demanding travel times so that they could be met; buses with greater capacity especially for the major lines; retirement of old vehicles, which they say have many breakdowns and low power, and staff expansion.

Demands

The employees complained that high pressure to meet timings had led to high absenteeism due to depression and anxiety. They also pointed to the age of the fleet, despite the company being engaged in a strong investment plan to renew the vehicles. What they argued was that buying a bus to retire another does not expand the fleet.

The drivers cited as an example that on long-distance lines such as 1, 3, 7, 11, 15, 18, or 21, there is a lack of articulated buses or megabuses to meet the extremely high demand of passengers.

Key Board Meeting

This Wednesday, the EMT board meeting was held and, among other issues, an investment schedule until 2034 was approved. There will be 299 units, of which 63 will be allocated for the next budget year. The following years will be 35, 32, 38, 36, 35, 20, 20, and 20 respectively. Until 2029, the investment will be 65 million euros (170 in the complete term).

On Monday, there was a first meeting at the SERCLA. UGT, Sitemt, Astua, and CSIF maintained their disagreement, but Comisiones Obreras reached an agreement and called off their strike notice, thanks to "key commitments for the improvement of public service and working conditions of the staff."

Fleet Age

The agreements, detailed in the aforementioned statement signed by the majority union of the EMT, include an express commitment on the age of the fleet and investments: "The maximum age of the vehicles will never exceed 12 years. At that age, they will have to be replaced and the average age of the fleet kept at 6-7 years."

Schedules, Training, and Workshops

New schedules will also be implemented: "It is agreed to implement schedules, according to real demand, on weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with successive start dates from January 10, 11, and 12, 2026. As part of this monitoring, it is agreed that the company will send weekly data on compliance, delays, or any incidents on each of the lines in order to correct them immediately."

These are the two crucial points, but other improvements in working conditions include the provision of professional training courses during working hours (if done externally and voluntarily, it will be paid); all travel during split shifts will be included in the daily working hours; a productivity plan in the refueling department; the purchase of a tow truck, to facilitate the tasks of the workshop vehicle, and, within the workshop department, a specific work group will be established for the versatility of the staff.