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Yolanda Díaz, at the meeting she held with the trade unions. R.C.
Spain's minimum wage to rise by 8 per cent to 1,080 euros this year

Spain's minimum wage to rise by 8 per cent to 1,080 euros this year

The government has opted for the increase recommended by experts and reached an agreement with the unions, but without the support of the business community

LUCÍA PALACIOS

MADRID.

Wednesday, 1 February 2023, 12:54

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The Spanish government will raise the Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI) by 8% in 2023 to 1,080 euros per month, divided into 14 payments. This was agreed on Tuesday 31 January by deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz with the trade unions after a marathon day of negotiations, although it was the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, who made the announcement during his appearance in the Senado, Spain's upper house.

The Spanish business community's CEOE organisation, for the third year in a row, refused to sign a tripartite agreement and refused to come to the negotiating table. It accused the employment ministry of being a "traitor" for failing to comply with the agreement reached in the last labour reform.

The tension between the government and the business association is growing after the latest statements by members of the government's left-wing colaition partners, Unidas Podemos, against some businessmen, particularly Juan Roig, president of supermarket chain Mercadona.

Sánchez, who on Tuesday criticised companies that pay "millionaire bonuses" to their managers and "do not offer a cent" to their workers, did little to alleviate the anger.

The rise of 80 euros per month will benefit some 2.3 million workers - according to estimates made by CCOO union - and will have a retroactive effect from 1 January. Companies and the self-employed will take on an extra cost of more than three billion euros this year due to this new increase, according to calculations made by SUR, since each worker will mean an extra expense of more than 1,500 euros between salary and contributions.

With the announcement, the government has opted for the increase recommended by the committee of experts, which last December sent the ministry a report in which it estimated that the minimum wage should be between 1,046 and 1,082 euros per month to reach 60% of the average wage, which is a commitment of the executive to comply with the European Social Charter.

The pact with the unions has not been easy. The first meeting led by the secretary of state for employment, Joaquín Pérez Rey, failed in its attempt to reach an agreement before Díaz took the reins of the negotiation.

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