Spain's public sector workers gain partial retirement option after years of negotiations

After a year of paralysis, the Spanish government and unions have reached an agreement on a new partial retirement procedure for fixed-term public sector employees.

Key details of the new process

The accord, signed on March 31 in the IV Collective Bargaining Commission, adapts the system to the General Social Security Law and comes just days after the 35-hour workweek was approved, solidifying a historic package of improvements for public sector teams.

The most significant change is the flexibility to accumulate all remaining work time until ordinary retirement age. This means workers can choose to reduce their hours by days, weeks, or months, depending on their needs.

The contract will be temporary for