Top Spanish unions warn against ‘excessive zeal’ at the border

The regional branches of leading Spanish unions CCOO and UGT described as “regrettable” the concern and uncertainty generated by recent events at the border, calling on treaty negotiators to finally break the “prolonged deadlock” and seal a deal that guaranteed post-Brexit frontier fluidity.

In a joint statement, the unions said the “excessive zeal” evidenced last Friday suggested a change in operational protocols that had been in place for some time to reflect interim arrangements agreed by the treaty negotiating parties.

If controls were tightened and Gibraltar was forced to reciprocate, that risked “ultimately reviving difficult conditions from the past for this workforce”.

The unions were reacted after the Spanish police chief inspector in charge at the border unilaterally ordered the passports of all British nationals to be stamped on Friday morning, Gibraltar residents included.

That was at odds with interim arrangements agreed by the UK, Spain, the European Commission and Gibraltar allowing red ID card holders to cross without having their passports stamped pending the outcome of treaty talks.

The order to stamp passports on Friday was swiftly overruled but it has added to the unease about frontier fluidity pending the outcome of treaty talks.

The unions also warned of what they described as “political opportunism” by the Partido Popular “at the expense of the mobility rights of thousands of workers” who cross the border daily to earn a living in Gibraltar.

“It seems that the PP, after reconsidering its position on this matter, now wants to return to Margallo-era policies, bringing back long queues that forced workers to wait for hours just to get home,” Ángel Serrano, the regional secretary of UGT.

“This is unacceptable, and we will not tolerate it.”

The unions called on the governments of Spain, the United Kingdom and Gibraltar to finally reach an agreement on Gibraltar’s future relationship with the EU.

They stressed that this agreement should provide certainty for cross-border workers and enable the long-promised development of a shared prosperity zone.

“This is the time for political courage, to reach agreements that address the needs and aspirations of communities on both sides of the border,” said Manuel Triano, the regional secretary of CCOO.

“Workers and the public, in general, are tired of this prolonged deadlock.”