Collective Accident Insurance for Staff in Spain

Why Collective Accident Cover Is Mandatory in Spain

Spanish employment law runs largely through convenios colectivos. These are sector-wide bargaining agreements between employer groups and trade unions. They set minimum employment terms across a whole industry. Spain has roughly 5,000 active convenios at national, regional and provincial level. Between them they cover almost every sector.

Most convenios include a clause that makes the employer provide accident insurance for staff. They set minimum payouts for accidental death and permanent disability from work accidents. In many convenios, they also pay out for any cause.

Not providing this cover breaks employment law, and the consequences can be serious:

• Liquidated damages owed to the employee or their family (the penalización por incumplimiento de convenio)
• Fines from the Inspección de Trabajo
• Civil claims for the full value of what the policy would have paid

Generali Convenio Accidentes is built to meet the convenio duty. The policy schedule confirms that it meets the relevant convenio benefit levels. The claims process is built to work alongside the state's own workplace-accident system. That state system is called Accidente de Trabajo y Enfermedad Profesional, and it is run through the Mutua de Accidentes.

Who Needs This Cover

Many expats in Spain benefit from this cover.

How Convenio Accident Cover Works

Convenio accident insurance works very differently from optional group benefits. Three things make it different:

Benefit levels are set by the convenio, not by the employer. The relevant convenio sets the minimum amounts:

• Typically €30,000–€60,000 for accidental death
• €60,000–€90,000 for permanent total disability from a workplace accident
• A defined scale for permanent partial disability

The employer must provide cover at least at those levels. Cover above them is allowed, and is now common as a way to attract staff.

Cover is per-employee and given to all eligible staff. Unlike optional group health cover, there is no opt-in or opt-out by individual employees. Every employee covered by the convenio is insured from their first day of work. The employer's staff list sets the policy schedule.

Beneficiaries are usually set by the convenio, not by the employee. For accidental death benefits, the convenio normally pays the spouse and children first. If there are none, it pays the parents, then the legal heirs in order of priority. Depending on the convenio's wording, the employee may have no right to name their own beneficiaries.

It also works alongside the social security accident system (Accidente de Trabajo). Social security pays its own benefits for workplace accidents through the Mutua de Accidentes. These include:

• Temporary incapacity benefit
• A permanent disability pension
• A death pension

The convenio benefit is paid on top of this, not instead. Both pay separately for the same event.

What Is Covered

Here is what you need to know.

The scope depends on two things. First, whether the convenio requires work-only cover or 24-hour cover. Second, whether the employer has chosen to enhance the convenio minimums:

• Accidental death — payment to convenio-defined beneficiaries on accidental death of the employee. Typically €30,000–€60,000 at convenio minimum, often enhanced to €60,000–€100,000 or higher.
• Permanent total disability (invalidez absoluta) — payment to the employee on certification of permanent inability to perform any work. Typically 1.5x the death benefit at convenio minimum.
• Permanent partial disability — payment per the disability scale (baremo) attached to the policy.
• Hospitalisation indemnity (optional enhancement) — daily payment during in-patient stay following a workplace accident.
• Repatriation (where applicable) — for international assignments and travelling employees.
• Funeral expenses (optional enhancement) — fixed contribution to funeral costs.

Whether 24-hour or work-only cover applies depends on the convenio:

• Many convenios require accident cover only for "accidente de trabajo" (workplace and commute).
• Others require full 24-hour cover. The construction sector convenio is one of the most generous here.
• The hospitality and retail convenios usually require work-only cover. Many employers then add 24-hour cover as a competitive benefit.

Convenio-Specific Benefit Levels

Examples of typical minimum benefit levels under common Spanish convenios (figures change with annual convenio reviews; specific schedules confirmed at quote stage):

• Convenio de la Construcción — death €56,000, permanent total disability €70,000, partial disability per scale, 24-hour cover.
• Convenio de Hostelería — death €30,000–€42,000 (varies by province), permanent total disability €42,000–€60,000, work-only cover.
• Convenio de Comercio — death €30,000–€36,000 (varies), permanent total disability €42,000–€48,000, work-only cover.
• Convenio de Sanidad Privada — death €36,000–€45,000, permanent total disability €54,000, work-only cover.
• Convenio de Oficinas y Despachos — death €30,000, permanent total disability €40,000, work-only cover.
• Convenio del Metal (provincial) — death €40,000–€56,000, permanent total disability €56,000–€70,000, work-only cover.
• Convenio de Industria Química — death €52,000, permanent total disability €70,000, 24-hour cover.

Some companies fall under several convenios at once. A hotel group, for example, may have separate convenios for kitchen, housekeeping and maintenance. Generali can write one combined policy that covers all these staff groups, each at its own benefit level. One policy is much simpler to run. This is one of the main reasons Generali has built strong market share in this product line.

Indicative Annual Premiums Per Employee

Disclaimer: All figures are indicative for 2026 and subject to underwriting at the time of application. Final premium depends on age, occupation, postcode, sums insured and individual risk profile. Contact us for a written quote.

Why Get This Through a Broker

Convenio rules are one of the most common problems found in Spanish small-business inspections. At claim stage, the usual dispute is whether the cover actually meets the convenio rules. The convenio for any company can be tricky to pin down:

• It can sit at national, regional, provincial or even local level.
• It can change benefit levels at each annual review.
• It can be unclear on whether 24-hour or work-only cover is needed for specific groups of staff.

Generali issues each Convenio Accidentes policy with a "convenio compliance certificate". It sets out:

• The specific convenio referenced.
• The relevant benefit levels checked against the convenio text.
• The date of the most recent convenio update verified.

This certificate is what an Inspección de Trabajo audit needs to see. It is the most useful document you have if you must prove compliance.

Many companies operate across several Spanish provinces. This is very common in retail, hospitality and construction. The convenio that applies at each location may differ. A single Generali Convenio Accidentes policy can cover several locations under several convenios on one schedule. Each location gets its own compliance certificate. We set up the structure when the policy starts. We then re-check the convenios at each annual renewal.

Cancellation rights. Annual contracts auto-renew under Ley 50/1980 Article 22. Cancellation requires at least one month's written notice before renewal.