22 November 2022
The Instituto Cervantes in Manchester, one of the sites where workers went on strike for better pay and conditions. Photo Clem Rutter (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Administrative staff at the Instituto Cervantes centres in Britain took strike action for better pay and conditions on Friday 18 November. The Instituto Cervantes is the Spanish government’s cultural centre abroad, closely equivalent to the British Council, with British centres in London, Manchester and Leeds.
Workers in Instituto Cervantes centres throughout the world are on local conditions of pay but, irrespective, have been subject to a thirteen-year wage freeze. They are seeking a salary increase equivalent to the accumulated inflation in each relevant country where they are employed. Ultimately, they want an agreement to establish an objective salary structure across all Instituto Cervantes centres.