Díaz leads the unions to lower their tone on the SMI to add the CEOE to the pact

Employers and unions went to the headquarters of the Ministry of Labor this Thursday to present their positions on the increase in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI). After the meeting, the workers’ representatives endorsed the employers’ demand to review public contracts so that it is possible to transfer the salary increase and avoided indicating a specific percentage for the negotiation. At the same time, the Secretary of State for Employment, Joaquín Pérez Rey, who maintained that with the 2023 increase, Spain had already reached 60% of the average salary, so that for next year it was to ensure that purchasing power was not lost. .

The Negotiators of Ceoee and Cepyme did not speak out after the meeting, but sources present at the table convey the information that the businessmen showed a flexible position that invites them to think that they will be able to close an agreement in a meeting called by the Ministry. of Yolanda Díaz for next December 11, that is, in two weeks. The same sources assure that the unions also, given the attitude shown by the employers, will be less demanding in the percentage increase, although they maintain that this should not only be limited to covering the average CPI for the year, located at 3.8 % but also part of the increases that food has experienced in that period.

Union sources admitted that the message that has been conveyed to them in recent weeks from the portfolio headed by the leader of Sumar advocated moderating the requests for increases with the aim of closing a tripartite agreement, which has not happened in the case of the SMI since January 2020, just two weeks after Díaz arrived in the Government. The Ministry also does not hide that the three-way pact is its goal after a year in which disagreements with employers have set the general tone and on the verge of other negotiations to modify unemployment benefits, working hours and compensation for Unfair dismissal

Sources close to the head of Labor even point out as a good direction the increase that the unions and employers agreed to for collective agreements, of 3% for 2024 with a clause of an additional 1% if the average inflation of that year exceeded the s forecasts. This is precisely the reference that the employers wanted to take as a basis for negotiation, but which CCOO and UGT have not only considered insufficient but have pointed out that it is not appropriate for an SMI in which this type of clauses are not common. However, this 4% does seem like it could be the meeting point between the positions defended by the two parties at the dialogue table.

The CEOE proposes raising the minimum remuneration by 3% to reach 1,112.4 gross euros per month, which represents an increase of 32.4 euros per month compared to the real. The unions, however, have not made public a common proposal, so while UGT initially placed the barrier at 1,200 euros, CCOO speaks of an increase of 5% (54 euros) which would take the SMI to 1,134 gross euros in 14 payments. Thus, both parties to the negotiation maintain a distance of 22 euros, which could be balanced by placing the increase at the 1,123.2 euros that the Ministry of Labor is targeting. In this way, both the employers and the unions would have to give up ten euros and Díaz would get the first group photo of the legislature.

There will be no report from the Commission of Experts

On this occasion, the members of the Commission of Experts for the SMI appointed by the Ministry of Labor will not present a report with a recommended increase. This was confirmed this Thursday by the ‘number two’ of the portfolio, who explained that the group had completed the work that had been assigned to it by designing a path to reach 60% of the average salary and that now it only needs to be updated. The department headed by Díaz assures that once the method has been established, it will not be necessary to resort to a new document to be able to interpret what figure would reach this threshold and that they will do so by evaluating, in addition to the CPI, the salary increases agreed upon in the agreement. In the coming months or weeks the committee will prepare a document, but this time it will measure the impacts of the increases on gender and inequality.

However, UGT refuses to end the discussion on the method to calculate this reference, as explained by the Deputy Secretary of Union Policy, Fernando Luján, in statements to the media. The General Union of Workers questions the data taken as a reference by the Committee of Experts and is committed to taking into account the figures collected by the Tax Agency, Eurostat and Social Security. A topic that will have to be addressed before the next appointment, since all parties will admit that the matter “does not give much more thought.”