Yolanda Díaz steps on the accelerator for a new increase in the minimum wage next year

2023-11-13 17:46:06

The Government will immediately get to work to carry out a new increase in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI) that would benefit more than 2.5 million workers. This was, in fact, almost the first big decision that Pedro Sánchez made when he arrived at La Moncloa in the previous legislature and his intention is to repeat this same coup d’effect. This is clear at least from the words spoken this Monday by the acting second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, which, in addition, seems to be taken for granted that she will remain at the head of the Ministry of Labor or, at the very least, that this portfolio so important will continue in the hands of Sumar, although the question remains to be resolved as to whether she will continue as second vice president or rise through the ranks and become number two in the Government.

“Immediately we are going to call on the social agents to continue raising the Minimum Interprofessional Wage,” Díaz promised during the meeting he held in Congress with the 31 deputies of Sumar in order to prepare the coordination of the parliamentary group for the investiture session. and the legislature.

But things have changed a lot since that year 2020, when, without even a month having passed after being inaugurated as president, Sánchez’s first big decision was to raise the minimum wage from 900 to 950 euros, in his commitment to place it at 60 % of average salary. This measure was also produced with agreement at the social dialogue table, something that is practically certain will not happen this time. The CEOE, either changes the situation a lot, or will not sign its signature on any document to once again raise the salary of the workers who earn the least. Relations between businessmen and La Moncloa are now not only more than tense, but practically broken, and the employers’ association has expressed its “serious concern” about the investiture pact reached.

Still, Yolanda Díaz wants to try. In reality, it is an obligation of the Ministry of Labor: to summon social agents to the negotiating table before announcing the new minimum wage, even if at least only to communicate the decision to them. That is why she also announced that she will convene the commission of experts to expand her mandate and to prepare a study of what the increase in the SMI of 47% during the socialist Government has meant. When Sánchez arrived at La Moncloa, the lowest remuneration was 735 euros per month, divided into 14 payments. Currently, and after experiencing the largest increase in more than four decades, it amounts to 1,080 euros.

In any case, everything suggests that the new year will begin with the minimum wage frozen, since the Ministry of Labor has already informed this newspaper that we will have to wait for a Budget before approving it. And the Budgets will not be ready until next year, according to Moncloa sources. However, it can be applied retroactively from January.