General concepts

As a rule, it is an agreement signed voluntarily by the workers with the Treasury General of the Social Security with the aim of generating, maintaining or extending, in certain situations, the entitlement to Social Security benefits, and with the obligation to pay the corresponding contribution payment to their exclusive account.

In other cases, such as the special agreement for companies and workers subject to labour force reduction plans that include workers of 55 years of age or over, the signing of the agreement is enforced by the Provincial Directorate of Labour and the agreement is signed by the company and the worker on the one hand and the General Treasury of the Social Security on the other.

The Special Agreement will have the purpose of covering the benefits corresponding to permanent disability, death and survival, those stemming from common illness and non work-related injury, retirement and social services.

Agreements signed before 1st January 1998 had the option to sign, in a voluntary nature, the health care benefit for common illness, non work-related injury and maternity. These agreements will continue to be governed by the regulations that were applied to them. Nevertheless, after this date the option to reduce the scope of coverage of the Special Agreement is not available.