Employment lawyer in Barcelona: defend your rights before the CMAC and the Social Courts with specialist advisers

Barcelona's labour market has its own intensity and litigation rate. The concentration of tech companies, the presence of large multinationals with international workforces, retail and hospitality sectors with high seasonal turnover, and the characteristic trade union density of Catalonia create a labour environment with frequent disputes and complex regulatory requirements. An unfair dismissal in a Barcelona technology company can involve salaries well above the national average, significantly increasing the compensation amount and the economic value of the claim. Employment disputes in Barcelona also have specific features arising from the Catalan framework: the Centre de Mediació i Arbitratge de Catalunya (CMAC) — equivalent to the Andalusian SERCLA or the Madrid SMAC — manages compulsory pre-litigation conciliation before cases go to the Social Courts. The High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJ Cataluña), Labour Division, is the appeal court for judgments of the Barcelona Social Courts. Knowing the doctrine of the TSJ Cataluña in employment matters is a meaningful differentiator in any complex dispute. The main risk in an employment dispute remains the same in Barcelona as elsewhere in Spain: limitation deadlines. Only 20 working days to challenge a dismissal, 30 days to claim against a material change to working conditions, 1 year for unpaid wages. Acting quickly with specialist advice is the difference between recovering what you are owed and permanently losing the right to claim.

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Why BM Consulting

Specialised advice and personal service

At BMC we serve workers and businesses in Barcelona from our Madrid offices with full digital assistance and on-demand in-person visits. Our employment lawyers have experience across all areas of Barcelona employment law: unfair and null dismissals, wage and compensation claims, redundancy procedures (ERE and ERTE), workplace harassment, equality plans, remote working disputes and collective conflicts. We appear before CMAC Barcelona for pre-litigation conciliation, before the Barcelona Social Courts for court proceedings and before the TSJ Cataluña for appeals, with locally registered collaborators. Whether you are a worker who needs to defend your rights against a company with more resources and information, or a business that needs to manage a disciplinary process, a collective redundancy or the implementation of an equality plan, we offer clear, transparent and results-oriented advice.

  • Conciliation before the CMAC in Barcelona is compulsory before bringing an employment claim — 40% of cases are resolved at this stage.

  • Dismissals at startups and tech companies in Barcelona generate frequent disputes — documentation of the disciplinary process is key.

  • Collective redundancies affecting more than 50 workers in Barcelona require a 30-day consultation period and notification to the labour authority.

  • Equality plans are compulsory for companies with more than 50 workers and must be negotiated with employee representatives.

How we work

From first contact to case completion

  1. First consultation and case analysis

    In the first consultation (at no charge) we analyse your employment situation in detail: we review available documentation (employment contract, payslips, dismissal letter, registered letter, applicable collective agreement), identify the rights affected and inform you clearly about available deadlines and realistic prospects of success. The consultation can be entirely by video call for Barcelona clients, or in person in Madrid if you prefer.

  2. Conciliation filing before CMAC Barcelona

    In most employment disputes a compulsory conciliation attempt before the Centre de Mediació i Arbitratge de Catalunya (CMAC) is required before bringing a claim before the Social Courts. We prepare and file the conciliation document within the correct deadline, and accompany you (in person or through a local collaborator) to the conciliation hearing to attempt an agreement in the best possible terms. The CMAC manages conciliation hearings for the Barcelona area with Catalonia's own procedures and timelines.

  3. Claim before the Barcelona Social Courts

    If no agreement is reached at the CMAC conciliation, we draft the claim before the competent Barcelona Social Court, develop the evidentiary strategy (documentary, witness, expert if required by the complexity) and represent you at the hearing with locally registered collaborators. In complex matters — workplace accidents, occupational diseases, workplace harassment — we coordinate with doctors and expert witnesses to rigorously establish the damages.

  4. Appeal before the TSJ Cataluña

    If the Social Court judgment is not favourable, or if the company fails to comply voluntarily with a judgment against it, we manage the appeal before the High Court of Justice of Catalonia, Labour Division, and enforcement of the judgment before the trial court to secure payment of the recognised compensation or wages. The TSJ Cataluña has its own employment case law that can differ in some respects from other regional high courts.

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The problem

Barcelona's labour market has its own intensity and litigation rate. The concentration of tech companies, the presence of large multinationals with international workforces, retail and hospitality sectors with high seasonal turnover, and the characteristic trade union density of Catalonia create a labour environment with frequent disputes and complex regulatory requirements. An unfair dismissal in a Barcelona technology company can involve salaries well above the national average, significantly increasing the compensation amount and the economic value of the claim. Employment disputes in Barcelona also have specific features arising from the Catalan framework: the Centre de Mediació i Arbitratge de Catalunya (CMAC) — equivalent to the Andalusian SERCLA or the Madrid SMAC — manages compulsory pre-litigation conciliation before cases go to the Social Courts. The High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJ Cataluña), Labour Division, is the appeal court for judgments of the Barcelona Social Courts. Knowing the doctrine of the TSJ Cataluña in employment matters is a meaningful differentiator in any complex dispute. The main risk in an employment dispute remains the same in Barcelona as elsewhere in Spain: limitation deadlines. Only 20 working days to challenge a dismissal, 30 days to claim against a material change to working conditions, 1 year for unpaid wages. Acting quickly with specialist advice is the difference between recovering what you are owed and permanently losing the right to claim.

Our solution

At BMC we serve workers and businesses in Barcelona from our Madrid offices with full digital assistance and on-demand in-person visits. Our employment lawyers have experience across all areas of Barcelona employment law: unfair and null dismissals, wage and compensation claims, redundancy procedures (ERE and ERTE), workplace harassment, equality plans, remote working disputes and collective conflicts. We appear before CMAC Barcelona for pre-litigation conciliation, before the Barcelona Social Courts for court proceedings and before the TSJ Cataluña for appeals, with locally registered collaborators. Whether you are a worker who needs to defend your rights against a company with more resources and information, or a business that needs to manage a disciplinary process, a collective redundancy or the implementation of an equality plan, we offer clear, transparent and results-oriented advice.

Process

How we do it

1

First consultation and case analysis

In the first consultation (at no charge) we analyse your employment situation in detail: we review available documentation (employment contract, payslips, dismissal letter, registered letter, applicable collective agreement), identify the rights affected and inform you clearly about available deadlines and realistic prospects of success. The consultation can be entirely by video call for Barcelona clients, or in person in Madrid if you prefer.

2

Conciliation filing before CMAC Barcelona

In most employment disputes a compulsory conciliation attempt before the Centre de Mediació i Arbitratge de Catalunya (CMAC) is required before bringing a claim before the Social Courts. We prepare and file the conciliation document within the correct deadline, and accompany you (in person or through a local collaborator) to the conciliation hearing to attempt an agreement in the best possible terms. The CMAC manages conciliation hearings for the Barcelona area with Catalonia's own procedures and timelines.

3

Claim before the Barcelona Social Courts

If no agreement is reached at the CMAC conciliation, we draft the claim before the competent Barcelona Social Court, develop the evidentiary strategy (documentary, witness, expert if required by the complexity) and represent you at the hearing with locally registered collaborators. In complex matters — workplace accidents, occupational diseases, workplace harassment — we coordinate with doctors and expert witnesses to rigorously establish the damages.

4

Appeal before the TSJ Cataluña

If the Social Court judgment is not favourable, or if the company fails to comply voluntarily with a judgment against it, we manage the appeal before the High Court of Justice of Catalonia, Labour Division, and enforcement of the judgment before the trial court to secure payment of the recognised compensation or wages. The TSJ Cataluña has its own employment case law that can differ in some respects from other regional high courts.

93%
Cases resolved favourably
20 days
Deadline to challenge a dismissal
24h
Guaranteed initial response

I was dismissed from a Barcelona tech company after 7 years, with objective grounds that were clearly unfair. BMC reviewed all the documentation, identified the formal defects in the dismissal letter and secured the company's acknowledgement of unfair dismissal before trial. I received the maximum compensation without waiting for a hearing.

Laura Ferrer Software developer, Barcelona

Employment law in Barcelona: a market with high trade union density and litigation

Barcelona is the capital of one of Spain’s regions with the strongest trade union tradition. The presence of UGT and CCOO in Barcelona’s business landscape is intense, and Catalonia’s provincial and sector collective agreements frequently provide better working conditions than national reference agreements. This creates a labour framework that is favourable to workers in terms of rights, but also an environment where businesses must manage their employment relations with particular rigour to avoid costly disputes.

The Barcelona Social Courts — headquartered in the Palau de Justícia — manage a high volume of employment proceedings each year, especially dismissals in the services, technology and hospitality sectors, and collective disputes relating to agreements and changes to conditions. Knowledge of the doctrine of the TSJ Cataluña, Labour Division, and the criteria of Barcelona courts is fundamental to designing an efficient litigation strategy.

Remote working and new forms of work organisation in Barcelona

Barcelona has a particularly high proportion of remote or hybrid workers, especially in the tech sector and at large multinationals based in the city. Spanish remote working regulation (Royal Decree-Law 28/2020, incorporated into the Workers’ Statute) requires a written remote working agreement covering connection costs, equipment, available hours, reversibility and the right to digital disconnection.

Many Barcelona companies that rushed to implement remote working during the pandemic do not have these agreements properly formalised, creating disputes over expense reimbursement, unilateral changes to remote working conditions and wage claims arising from unrecorded hours. At BMC we advise companies on formalising their remote working agreements and workers on claiming their rights where an agreement does not exist or is not respected.

Workplace harassment in Barcelona: document and act before it is too late

Workplace harassment (mobbing) is a frequent reality in companies of all sizes. In Barcelona, where business density and labour mobility are high, harassment can take many forms: isolation in remote teams, downgrading of responsibilities, exclusion from projects, pressure to resign, or discrimination on grounds of origin, religion, sexual orientation or gender.

Proving harassment is the main legal challenge: the conduct is usually subtle, gradual and frequently denied by the company. At BMC we advise from the first sign: how to document harassment episodes (chronological record with dates, facts and witnesses), how to raise an internal complaint through the anti-harassment protocol companies are required to have, and what legal options are available if the company does not act or acts insufficiently. Options range from constructive dismissal with compensation for serious employer breach (Article 50 of the Workers’ Statute) to filing a complaint with the Catalonia Labour Inspectorate.

Employment rights in Barcelona’s tech sector

Barcelona’s tech sector — with companies like Glovo, Wallbox, Factorial, Typeform and hundreds of startups at various growth stages — has specific employment features. Variable pay in the form of stock options, warrants or phantom shares is common, but their tax and employment treatment on dismissal or voluntary departure frequently generates disputes. Do unvested options lapse when you leave? How are options valued in the final settlement? Can the company unilaterally modify the options plan?

In addition, the international expansion of Barcelona companies creates situations of workers posted abroad or hired in other countries coming to Spain, with the complexities of Social Security coordination, taxation in the country of origin and application of Spain’s international labour conventions.

BMC has a representation in Barcelona. See our Barcelona representation for local support.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The Centre de Mediació i Arbitratge de Catalunya (CMAC) is the Catalan Government body responsible for managing conciliation and pre-agreement attempts before a claim is filed with the Social Courts. It is Catalonia's equivalent of the Andalusian SERCLA or the Madrid SMAC. The conciliation filing before the CMAC is a compulsory precondition in most individual employment disputes (dismissal, wage claim, change of conditions). The conciliation hearing takes place at the CMAC offices in Barcelona and can result in an agreement between the parties or be recorded as no agreement, which enables filing a court claim.
We handle all employment law disputes for workers and businesses in Barcelona: unfair and null dismissal, wage and compensation claims, collective redundancy procedures (ERE and ERTE), material changes to working conditions (reduced hours, salary reduction, forced relocation), workplace and sexual harassment, constructive dismissal, challenging disciplinary sanctions, collective disputes, and equality plans and anti-harassment protocols for businesses. We also advise on remote working regulations and internationally posted workers.
Dismissals at Barcelona tech companies have relevant specific features. Salaries in the sector are often well above the minimum wage and general collective agreements, significantly increasing unfair dismissal compensation. Many tech workers receive part of their pay in shares or stock options, whose valuation and treatment in the final settlement and termination payment can be complex. Contracts drafted in English or with foreign law clauses also require specific analysis. At BMC we have experience of dismissals in the Barcelona tech sector and know the applicable sector agreements (State Consultancy Companies Collective Agreement, Catalonia IT Agreement).
In a collective redundancy (ERE) on economic, technical, organisational or production grounds, the worker is entitled to: minimum compensation of 20 days per year worked, capped at 12 monthly payments (though many redundancy procedures improve this minimum through collective negotiation), immediate unemployment benefit (without a six-month wait), and preference for remaining for union representatives, workers with family dependants and persons with disabilities. Companies with more than 50 workers in Barcelona are required to offer an external outplacement plan of at least 6 months. At BMC we assess whether the company has met the documentation, consultation and deadline requirements of the redundancy procedure, and whether there are nullity defects that allow a challenge.
An equality plan is a document that analyses the state of equality between women and men in a company and sets out measures to eliminate the identified gaps (pay, promotion, work-life balance). It is compulsory for companies with 50 or more workers. It must be negotiated with the employees' legal representatives and registered in REGCON (the Collective Agreements and Accords Registry). Barcelona companies are subject to the Catalonia Labour Inspectorate, which has intensified enforcement on pay equality and the salary registry. At BMC we draft comprehensive equality plans including the diagnostic review, corrective measures and monitoring system.
Conciliation before the Centre de Mediació, Arbitratge i Conciliació (CMAC) in Barcelona is a compulsory procedural step before any employment claim, with limited exceptions (collective redundancies, disciplinary sanctions, etc.). The worker or the business files the conciliation document, and both parties are summoned within 15-20 days. At the conciliation hearing, a CMAC mediator facilitates dialogue. An agreement has the same legal effect as a court judgment. If no agreement is reached, the applicant can file a claim before the Barcelona Social Courts. Approximately 40% of cases are resolved at conciliation. BMC advises on what conciliation offer is reasonable in each case and represents you throughout the process.

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Frequently asked questions

Questions about Employment Lawyer in Barcelona 2026: Employment Law

The Centre de Mediació i Arbitratge de Catalunya (CMAC) is the Catalan Government body responsible for managing conciliation and pre-agreement attempts before a claim is filed with the Social Courts. It is Catalonia's equivalent of the Andalusian SERCLA or the Madrid SMAC. The conciliation filing before the CMAC is a compulsory precondition in most individual employment disputes (dismissal, wage claim, change of conditions). The conciliation hearing takes place at the CMAC offices in Barcelona and can result in an agreement between the parties or be recorded as no agreement, which enables filing a court claim.
We handle all employment law disputes for workers and businesses in Barcelona: unfair and null dismissal, wage and compensation claims, collective redundancy procedures (ERE and ERTE), material changes to working conditions (reduced hours, salary reduction, forced relocation), workplace and sexual harassment, constructive dismissal, challenging disciplinary sanctions, collective disputes, and equality plans and anti-harassment protocols for businesses. We also advise on remote working regulations and internationally posted workers.
Dismissals at Barcelona tech companies have relevant specific features. Salaries in the sector are often well above the minimum wage and general collective agreements, significantly increasing unfair dismissal compensation. Many tech workers receive part of their pay in shares or stock options, whose valuation and treatment in the final settlement and termination payment can be complex. Contracts drafted in English or with foreign law clauses also require specific analysis. At BMC we have experience of dismissals in the Barcelona tech sector and know the applicable sector agreements (State Consultancy Companies Collective Agreement, Catalonia IT Agreement).
In a collective redundancy (ERE) on economic, technical, organisational or production grounds, the worker is entitled to: minimum compensation of 20 days per year worked, capped at 12 monthly payments (though many redundancy procedures improve this minimum through collective negotiation), immediate unemployment benefit (without a six-month wait), and preference for remaining for union representatives, workers with family dependants and persons with disabilities. Companies with more than 50 workers in Barcelona are required to offer an external outplacement plan of at least 6 months. At BMC we assess whether the company has met the documentation, consultation and deadline requirements of the redundancy procedure, and whether there are nullity defects that allow a challenge.
An equality plan is a document that analyses the state of equality between women and men in a company and sets out measures to eliminate the identified gaps (pay, promotion, work-life balance). It is compulsory for companies with 50 or more workers. It must be negotiated with the employees' legal representatives and registered in REGCON (the Collective Agreements and Accords Registry). Barcelona companies are subject to the Catalonia Labour Inspectorate, which has intensified enforcement on pay equality and the salary registry. At BMC we draft comprehensive equality plans including the diagnostic review, corrective measures and monitoring system.
Conciliation before the Centre de Mediació, Arbitratge i Conciliació (CMAC) in Barcelona is a compulsory procedural step before any employment claim, with limited exceptions (collective redundancies, disciplinary sanctions, etc.). The worker or the business files the conciliation document, and both parties are summoned within 15-20 days. At the conciliation hearing, a CMAC mediator facilitates dialogue. An agreement has the same legal effect as a court judgment. If no agreement is reached, the applicant can file a claim before the Barcelona Social Courts. Approximately 40% of cases are resolved at conciliation. BMC advises on what conciliation offer is reasonable in each case and represents you throughout the process.
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