Spain fines 'Big Four' consulting firms for 'marathon' working days

A year after the Spanish Labour Ministry began investigating working practices and conditions at the so-called 'Big Four' consultancies - Deloitte, PwC, EY and KPMG - the public body has decided to impose a fine totalling at least €1.4 million.

Authorities were investigating whether employees were actually working longer hours than their records showed.

In some cases, employees of the Big Four complained about spending up to 16 hours per day at work.

All four companies have been approached for comment. 

Spanish media report the investigation was not easy as the consultancies lacked an hourly register, which is a requirement for all companies since the change in Spanish law in 2019. 

This alleged lack of accountability made it easy for “marathon working days” to become the norm, Sergio Padilla, a former employee at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) consultancy in Madrid, told Euronews.

Like his colleagues, Padilla - whose name has been changed to protect his identity used to work 12 hours a day: from 9 am until 9 pm.

This seemed completely normal to him, as all his colleagues at the consultancy were in the same situation.

He would barely have any free time after work, just going home to get some sleep before returning to the office once again. He didn’t even have time to buy groceries from the supermarket, ending up eating fast food for every meal instead.

During his two years with the company, Padilla said he became increasingly "bitter" until he finally decided to leave voluntarily and move back to his hometown.

The ‘Big Four’ offices were raided in November 2022 after the Spanish Ministry of Labour, headed by Minister Yolanda Díaz, opened the investigation ex officio, without any complaint having been lodged.

“Inspectors detected