The Government of Aragón and social agents have signed the V Agreement for Autonomous Resolution of Labor Conflicts during an event that was attended by the Vice President and Minister of Presidency, Economy and Justice, Mar Vaquero. The agreement incorporates significant changes in the functioning of the Aragonese Mediation and Arbitration Service (SAMA), highlighting its role in managing labor conflicts in the autonomous community.
Vice President Mar Vaquero participated in the event alongside the presidents of CEOE and Cepyme Aragón and the general secretaries of UGT and Comisiones Obreras. Vaquero highlighted SAMA as a symbol of the collaborative spirit of Aragonese society and emphasized that Aragonese society seeks stability, social peace, and to maintain the tradition of collective bargaining. The minister also recognized the work of social agents, noting that they signed legislative agreements in 2023 and 2024, and issued a joint statement regarding labor accidents in the summer.
The V Agreement presents six main changes: the update of the name from «Extrajudicial» to «Autonomous» to emphasize the independence of the parties; the formal incorporation of online mediation, implemented in May 2020; the recognition of the training program for mediators since 2008; the promotion of intrajudicial mediation through a protocol with the Superior Court of Justice of Aragón signed on March 31, 2025; new possibilities in arbitration procedures allowing arbitrators from different colleges per subject; and the possibility of considering the mediation process fulfilled in certain procedures.
Since its creation in 1999, SAMA has managed 173,951 individual cases, of which 143,013 were dismissals, providing coverage to 1,893,157 workers and 358,697 companies. In collective conflict, over the last five years, 681 cases were processed, including 331 strikes and negotiation blockades, with an annual average of 136 cases. In total, SAMA has handled 3,330 collective cases and 20 arbitration procedures. The results reflect a settlement rate of 76% in dismissal procedures and 74% in collective conflicts.
