Pre-Trial Conciliation Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Conciliación Previa)

A Pre-Trial Conciliation Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Conciliación Previa) is a written settlement document recording the terms agreed between disputing parties at the mandatory administrative conciliation proceedings conducted before the Servicio de Mediación, Arbitraje y Conciliación (SMAC) or equivalent autonomous community body, prior to filing a claim before the Juzgado de lo Social or other Spanish court. The agreement is governed principally by Ley 36/2011, de 10 de octubre, Reguladora de la Jurisdicción Social (LRJS), Articles 63 through 68, which establish the procedural requirement of prior conciliation as a condition of admissibility for most labour claims in Spain, and by Real Decreto 2756/1979 which regulates the SMAC procedure.

The SMAC (Servicio de Mediación, Arbitraje y Conciliación) is administered by the Ministerio de Trabajo y Economía Social at the national level and by the corresponding Consejería de Trabajo of each autonomous community (comunidad autónoma) — in Catalunya the equivalent body is the TLC (Tribunal Laboral de Catalunya), in the Basque Country the PRECO service, and in other regions the CEMAC or equivalent. The conciliation procedure is mandatory under Article 63 LRJS before most labour claims — dismissal (despido), wage claims (reclamación de cantidad), modification of working conditions, and recognition of rights. Exceptions under Article 64 LRJS include claims against public administrations (Administraciones Públicas), social security claims, collective redundancy disputes (ERE), and urgent matters.

When the parties reach agreement at the SMAC conciliation, the terms are recorded in an acta de conciliación (conciliation record) by the SMAC official (letrado o funcionario conciliador). The Acuerdo de Conciliación Previa formalises the settlement terms — typically including the agreed payment amount (cantidad pactada), the settlement basis (desistimiento, renuncia de derechos, or transacción), and any confidentiality obligations. Under Article 67 LRJS, an acta de conciliación approved by the SMAC has the same executory force as a judicial judgment (fuerza ejecutiva de sentencia) and can be enforced directly before the Juzgado de lo Social through the expedited enforcement procedure (ejecución) without the need for a trial.

Civil pre-trial conciliation is separately governed by the Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil (Ley 1/2000, LEC) and the Ley de Mediación en Asuntos Civiles y Mercantiles (Ley 5/2012, de 6 de julio), which governs mediation agreements (acuerdos de mediación) that can be elevated to public deed (escritura pública) by a notario or submitted to the court for approval as a transaction agreement (acuerdo transaccional) under LEC Article 19. The Reglamento (UE) 2021/1226 and Directive 2008/52/EC on mediation in civil and commercial matters apply to cross-border disputes within the EU involving Spanish parties.

The Tribunal Supremo Sala de lo Social has confirmed in multiple rulings that a conciliation agreement approved by the SMAC is binding and can be challenged only on the grounds of duress (violencia), error, fraud (dolo), or procedural defect — not merely because one party later regrets the terms. The Juzgado de lo Social enforces approved actas de conciliación through the same enforcement mechanisms available for judicial judgments under LRJS Articles 237 through 303.

The legal framework governing the Pre-Trial Conciliation Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Conciliación Previa) in Spain draws on several key statutes and regulatory bodies. Under Spanish law, the Código Civil governs marriage (Article 66), divorce (Article 81), custody (Article 92), and maintenance (Article 142). The Ley Orgánica 1/1996 (LOPJM) protects minors. The Registro Civil records births, marriages, and deaths. The Ley 15/2015 de Jurisdicción Voluntaria governs non-contentious proceedings. The Ley Orgánica 1/1982 protects fundamental rights including image and privacy. Parties executing a Pre-Trial Conciliation Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Conciliación Previa) in Spain should confirm the document reflects current law, including any amendments enacted since the original drafting date. The Ley 36/2011 Reguladora de la Jurisdicción Social art. 63–68 sets the foundational requirements.

A Pre-Trial Conciliation Agreement Spain is needed whenever an employee or employer wishes to resolve a labour dispute without litigation before the Juzgado de lo Social, by reaching a binding settlement at the SMAC or equivalent autonomous community conciliation service.

The agreement is required when an employee is dismissed (despedido) and wishes to negotiate a settlement — typically a higher severance payment than the statutory minimum — without filing a dismissal claim (demanda por despido) before the Juzgado de lo Social. The mandatory SMAC conciliation under Article 63 LRJS must be attempted before the dismissal claim is admitted. If the employer fails to appear at the SMAC hearing, the worker may proceed directly to the Juzgado de lo Social.

A Conciliation Agreement Spain is needed when an employee has an unpaid wage claim (reclamación de cantidad) — whether for unpaid salaries, overtime (horas extraordinarias), commission, or severance components — and the employer is willing to pay a negotiated amount to avoid litigation. The SMAC conciliation suspends the prescription period (plazo de prescripción) of one year under Article 59 of the Estatuto de los Trabajadores during the conciliation process.

The agreement is needed when a modification of working conditions (modificación sustancial de condiciones de trabajo) under Article 41 of the Estatuto de los Trabajadores is disputed and the parties wish to reach an accommodation — adjusted working hours, salary recalculation, or relocation terms — without formal judicial challenge.

A Pre-Trial Conciliation Agreement is needed in civil disputes under the Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil when the parties wish to record a settlement reached through mediation under Ley 5/2012 and give it executory force by notarial deed or judicial approval, avoiding a full civil trial (juicio ordinario or juicio verbal).

The agreement is also needed when a company undergoing restructuring (ERTE — Expediente de Regulación Temporal de Empleo or ERE — Expediente de Regulación de Empleo) wishes to document individual settlement arrangements with affected workers outside the collective procedure, providing each worker with a personalised written record of agreed terms enforceable before the Juzgado de lo Social.

Parties in Spain should prepare a Pre-Trial Conciliation Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Conciliación Previa) proactively rather than waiting for a dispute to arise. Courts interpret agreements based on the written terms rather than oral representations. Under Spanish law, the Código Civil governs marriage (Article 66), divorce (Article 81), custody (Article 92), and maintenance (Article 142). The Ley Orgánica 1/1996 (LOPJM) protects minors. The Registro Civil records births, marriages, and deaths. The Ley 15/2015 de Jurisdicción Voluntaria governs non-contentious proceedings. The Ley Orgánica 1/1982 protects fundamental rights including image and privacy. Where the transaction involves regulated activities, prior approval from the relevant authority may be required before execution.

A valid Pre-Trial Conciliation Agreement Spain under Ley 36/2011 LRJS and Ley 5/2012 must contain the following essential elements to be binding and enforceable.

Identification of Parties: Full legal names, DNI or NIE, and addresses of the claimant (solicitante or demandante) and the respondent (demandado). Where the respondent is a company, the NIF, registered address, and legal representative (representante legal) must be stated. The claimant's employment relationship — start date, professional category, and applicable convenio colectivo — should be identified for labour disputes under LRJS.

Conciliation Body and Reference: The name of the SMAC office (or equivalent autonomous community body — TLC, PRECO, CEMAC) where the conciliation was held, the file reference number (número de expediente), the date of the conciliation hearing, and the name of the conciliation official (letrado conciliador or funcionario).

Description of the Dispute: A clear summary of the underlying claim — dismissal date and ground alleged (despido disciplinario, objetivo, or colectivo), wage period in dispute, or specific right at issue — sufficient to identify the subject matter of the settlement (objeto de la conciliación).

Agreed Terms: The precise settlement terms — monetary payment (cantidad acordada) in euros, payment method (transferencia bancaria, cheque), payment deadline, and any non-monetary obligations such as provision of a settlement letter (carta de liquidación), social security contribution regularisation with the TGSS, or delivery of a settlement certificate (certificado de empresa) for SEPE unemployment benefit purposes.

Settlement Basis: Clear statement of whether the agreement constitutes: (1) a transacción extrajudicial (out-of-court settlement) under Código Civil Articles 1809 through 1819 — involving mutual concessions; (2) a renuncia de derechos (waiver of rights) by the claimant in exchange for payment; or (3) a desistimiento (withdrawal) from the conciliation and any future claim on the matters covered. Spanish courts have held that imprecise settlement basis language may allow the claimant to relitigate settled matters.

Release of Claims: A clear release clause (finiquito) covering all claims arising from the employment relationship or dispute described — including unpaid wages, overtime, holiday pay, severance, IRPF withholdings under Ley 35/2006, and social security contributions — with a statement that the payment satisfies all obligations of the respondent to the claimant in relation to the specified matters.

Confidentiality Provisions: Where agreed, a mutual confidentiality obligation covering the terms of the settlement, the fact of the dispute, and any commercial information disclosed during the conciliation process, subject to obligations imposed by the AEAT, TGSS, SEPE, or court proceedings.

Executory Force Statement: Reference to Article 67 LRJS confirming that the acta de conciliación approved by the SMAC has executory force equivalent to a judicial judgment, enforceable before the Juzgado de lo Social through the ejecución procedure under LRJS Articles 237 through 303.

Signatures: Signatures of both parties or their duly authorised representatives (with powers of attorney — poderes notariales — attached if required by the SMAC), together with the signature and stamp of the SMAC official recording the agreement.

Forms-legal.com provides this Pre-Trial Conciliation Agreement Spain template as a drafting aid. All conciliation proceedings should be attended with the assistance of a qualified abogado laboralista or graduado social to protect the claimant's rights and assess the adequacy of any proposed settlement.

Additional compliance elements for a Pre-Trial Conciliation Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Conciliación Previa) used in Spain include: Under Spanish law, the Código Civil governs marriage (Article 66), divorce (Article 81), custody (Article 92), and maintenance (Article 142). The Ley Orgánica 1/1996 (LOPJM) protects minors. The Registro Civil records births, marriages, and deaths. The Ley 15/2015 de Jurisdicción Voluntaria governs non-contentious proceedings. The Ley Orgánica 1/1982 protects fundamental rights including image and privacy. Forms-legal.com provides this template as a starting point for Spain-compliant documentation.