Catalonia's second-largest city has taken a decisive step to resolve tensions between the local government and the Urban Guard staff, a conflict that lasted from early September 2025 until early December of the same year. On Tuesday, April 28, the Plenary of L'Hospitalet City Council greenlit two fundamental agreements linked to the pact reached in December between the local executive and unions, aiming to improve the police force's conditions and end the confrontation.
The approved measures combine a modification of the local police staff structure and a budgetary reallocation. The first agreement adapts the civil servant staff to the internal reorganization of the Urban Guard and current legislation, without increasing the total number of positions. This restructuring has also served to close the controversy surrounding the Superintendent position, which had been judicialized, now placing the maximum level of ordinary management in the figure of intendant.
The second measure consists of a credit modification of 769,973.29 euros within the municipal budget for 2026, which will allow the agreed commitments to be validated. This agreement, which includes salary improvements for agents, required the approval of the local budgets for 2026, which occurred after the mayor underwent a vote of confidence. These new approvals in the Plenary finally unblock the local executive's commitments to the staff.
“"There is still a long way to go, and we must improve infrastructure and equipment so that local police officers can carry out their work in the best conditions."
The pact establishes a fixed increase of approximately 2,100 gross euros annually per agent, resulting from the update of supplements and the reinforcement of the incompatibility bonus. Additionally, a new police and technological management supplement is created, linked to the use of digital tools and the preparation of police reports. A variable payment for absenteeism targets is also added, which can reach up to 3,000 gross euros annually per person, conditioned on the overall absenteeism rate not exceeding 15% of the staff and each agent not accumulating more than three days of annual indisposition without penalty. If the objectives are met, the potential improvement for a basic-scale agent could be around an additional 5,000 gross euros annually.
“"In a single negotiation, it is impossible to recover a decade without updating labor conditions, but we value the agreement positively and trust that it will serve as a turning point for a new stage in relations between the local government and the L'Hospitalet police force."
