
22 hours · 2 summary articles
BBVA Technology workers strike over frozen salaries despite record profits
Volkswagen faces shareholder revolt as crisis deepens
Employees at BBVA Technology are planning to strike on June 22 over frozen salaries, despite the company's record profits. The strike, which will affect offices in Madrid, Bilbao, and Barcelona, involves 3,800 workers who are protesting salary freezes that have affected nearly 90% of staff, even as the company reported profits of 10.511 billion euros in 2025 and 2.980 billion euros in the first quarter of 2026 .
The workers, represented by the CCOO union, have called for the strike after the company refused to negotiate over salary increases. "The workers don't understand how it's possible that employees of large banking and business groups in the country, which have exceeded their own profits year after year since 2021, have their salary conditions frozen," said a union representative .
BBVA Technology has cited an uncertain future for the sector as a reason for not negotiating. However, workers argue that the company's strong financial performance should be reflected in their salaries. "Amply protected by uncertain futures, no past is sufficiently good to reward the invaluable work of its staff," the union said in a statement .
This strike is not an isolated incident. Companies across Europe are facing challenges with employee satisfaction and retention. At Volkswagen, an internal survey revealed that a majority of board members see the company as existentially threatened, indicating deep concerns about the company's future .
Meanwhile, companies are dealing with the phenomenon of "quiet quitting," where employees, particularly executives, disengage from their work due to lack of recognition, excessive responsibility, and little support. "Too much responsibility, little meaning, hardly any backing – this is driving executives to internal resignation," one article noted .
Companies are also grappling with abuse of home office policies. According to one report, every tenth employee works from home more often than allowed. Companies are now looking at ways to address this issue .
Additionally, there are concerns about workplace harassment and inequality. In hospitals in the canton of Neuenburg, an investigation revealed desolate working conditions with cases of harassment and sexism . And data shows that women continue to bear the brunt of workplace flexibility, with 90% of those taking unpaid leave or reducing hours to care for family members being women .
As companies face these challenges, experts suggest that addressing employee concerns and improving working conditions could be key to maintaining productivity and satisfaction.