Spanish unions demand changes to new lobbying registry law

Unai Sordo, the general secretary of Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), has criticized a Royal Decree-Law regarding the public registry of lobbies, calling the inclusion of trade unions in the law an ‘absolute absurdity’. The regulation requires organizations to register as interest groups if they engage in activities aimed at influencing public policy or legislative projects.

Sordo argues that trade unions are not pressure groups but rather ‘constitutional subjects’ with representative functions established by the Spanish Constitution and the Organic Law on Trade Union Freedom. He has called on the Spanish Government and the Ministry of Public Function and Digital Transformation to rectify the text, warning that ‘appropriate measures’ will be taken if the regulation is not amended.

This opposition aligns CCOO with other major social and business organizations, including the UGT union and the business association CEOE. These groups maintain that unions should not be treated the same as private interest groups, as they operate within the established framework of social dialogue and collective bargaining.