The Spanish government proposes Yolanda Díaz as director of the International Labour Organization

BarcelonaThe Spanish government has presented the candidacy of the second vice president and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, to run for the general director of the International Labour Organization (ILO). It is the United Nations body responsible for promoting "decent work" and "social justice", and Díaz aspires to become the first woman – and first Spanish representative – at the head of the institution.

"It is an honor [...]. For the first time, a woman and our country would be at the head of this institution," wrote President Pedro Sánchez in a message on X. "Yolanda has demonstrated with policies and results her commitment to labor rights, social dialogue, and the prosperity of Spain. Her experience, trajectory, and consensus-building vocation make her an excellent candidate," he added.

In a press release, the state executive highlights Díaz's merits, including the promotion of "some of the main labor and social reforms of recent years" and the fact that all of them have been achieved through "social dialogue". "During these years, the labor reform [...] has been promoted, which has contributed to reducing temporality to historic lows and has achieved the highest employment record in Spain's history, the platform law, or the largest increase in the interprofessional minimum wage in democracy," he states.

Founded in 1919, the ILO brings together governments, employers' organizations, and trade unions from its 187 member states. With Díaz's candidacy, as the Spanish government argues, Spain aims to "strengthen a key institution to face the challenges of the labor market in a context of profound economic, technological, and environmental transformations". The same executive highlights, however, that Spain is already currently the country in the world that has signed the most conventions with the ILO (141).

Regarding Díaz's situation, it should be recalled that in February she announced that she would not run again as a candidate in the next general elections. In June 2024, in fact, she already stepped down as leader of Sumar, the minority party in the Sánchez government. At all times, however, she has maintained the vice-presidency and the Ministry of Labor. "In recent years we have achieved things that seemed impossible. [...] I will continue working in the government [...] to advance all that we still have to do", she defended then.