The Ministry of Labour wants to protect employees who report possible cases of corruption in the company or institution where they work. Specifically, the ministry led by Yolanda Díaz (Sumar) plans to bring to this Tuesday's cabinet meeting a draft bill that amends the Workers' Statute to declare the dismissal of an employee who has reported a possible case of corruption as a reprisal null and void, according to ministry sources.

The 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.

Sumar announced this Wednesday that it has agreed with the PSOE on the extension of rents until 2028 through a new housing decree that will also include tax incentives for owners, an indispensable measure to achieve the text to be finally approved with the favorable vote of Junts in Congress.

Moviment Sumar –the party founded by Yolanda Díaz in 2023– is trying to put a plaster on things after an internal crisis that has caused the leadership to implode. The way to turn the page has been to ratify the only candidacy that has been presented in the third assembly in three years, led by Verónica Martínez Barbero, current spokesperson for the parliamentary group in Congress, and Rosa Martínez, Secretary of State for Social Rights and number 2 to Minister Pablo Bustinduy. In a calm and surprise-free conclave, the list received 95.9% of the support. During the political event that served as the closing, Rosa Martínez championed the commitment to "broad and diverse alliances" and called for "exploring all possibilities" that allow for "building a broad front".

Moviment Sumar, the party founded by Yolanda Díaz to have its own brand, is going through one of the weakest moments in its short history. On the eve of the formation's third assembly, the internal war that has emerged in recent weeks has made evident wounds that will be difficult to heal in the eyes of the electorate. From July 11 onwards, the party will be led by the tandem formed by Verónica Martínez Barbero, current spokesperson for Sumar in Congress, and Rosa Martínez, Secretary of State for Social Rights. One of the strong figures will be Ernest Urtasun, Minister of Culture and also a member of the Comuns executive. However, there is a relevant name who will not continue: Lara Hernández, who until now was the party's coordinator and who has decided to step down after denouncing a “brutal smear campaign” against her. Her resignation adds to a long list of visible figures — both from the party and the parliamentary group — who have abandoned a ship that has never really set sail.

The president of the Spanish employers' association CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, has raised his tone regarding the political situation the State is going through and which is marked by different judicial fronts: "The [Spanish] panorama is devastating [...] We are heading for institutional drift," Garamendi denounced during the closing of the CEOE General Assembly held this Wednesday in Madrid. The employers' leader also called to "lift the carpets, because the cases of corruption are incredible".

Moviment Sumar is immersed in an earthquake. As a parenthesis, a first note: it is the party founded by Yolanda Díaz three years ago and which, together with Comuns, Esquerra Unida and Més Madrid, is designing a new alliance to run in coalition in the general elections scheduled for 2027. The formation was formally led by Yolanda Díaz until the current second vice-president of the Spanish government resigned the day after the blow in the European elections of June 2024 and distanced herself from the day-to-day organic work. "I have the feeling that in these months I have not done what I should have done," she acknowledged at the time. Last February, amid the reconfiguration movements to the left of the PSOE, Díaz announced that she would not run again as a candidate for Moncloa and left a clear path for the four parties in the platform to choose a new figurehead. But one of the actors, Sumar, is going through one of its weakest moments after the until now organization secretary, Laura Moreno, has resigned with a very harsh letter against the leadership. This is a departure that adds to the recent resignation of David Comas as communication secretary, which had not been made public. All this comes as Moviment Sumar is about to hold its General Assembly, the third in three years, to set the party's course. It began to be prepared three months ago and will finally be held in Madrid on Saturday, July 11. "We have an important assembly ahead of us for which we want to make an effort for serenity and care," defend sources from the formation. "We know that it has not been like that in recent days and for this reason we would like to apologize," they add.

Yolanda Díaz has not wanted to retract the comments she made about Julio Iglesias following reports accusing him of sexual harassment. As reported by Eldiario.es, the second vice president and Minister of Labour has maintained her statements at the conciliation hearing that took place this Tuesday in a Madrid court. In February 2026, after the investigative report was made public, the Spanish vice president condemned on TVE the sexual assaults for which the singer was being investigated and called for "firmness": she was in favor of withdrawing Iglesias' medals because she maintained that his behavior "requires exemplary action". "One thing is criminal responsibility and another is responsibility of an ethical nature," she justified.

The main demonstration on a Spanish scale this May 1st took place in Malaga, coinciding with the first day of the Andalusian elections campaign. Under the slogan "Rights, not trenches. Salaries, housing, and democracy", thousands of workers have taken to the streets to demand better salaries, decent and affordable housing, and respect for international law. The demonstration, however, was heavily marked by electoral coded messages launched by progressive leaders who mobilized, taking advantage of the first day of the campaign in Andalusia.

Politics shouldn't be all about pronouncements and grand gestures. Pragmatism is also essential. In short, it's about being practical so that citizens, those governed, feel they aren't being abandoned when times get tough. And this seems to be the path the Spanish government has taken with the package of measures designed to mitigate the effects of the war in the Middle East. The conflict, whose end appears far off, has driven up gas and oil prices and, consequently, the prices of everything related to them, such as fuel and electricity. That's why the measures announced by Pedro Sánchez will amount to around 5 billion euros, far less than the more than 20 billion mobilized in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine—but we are still in the early stages and don't know how long the war might last. The first decree focuses on reducing energy taxes, one of the services most affected by the impact of the Middle East crisis, and one that could have ripple effects throughout the economy. In addition to lowering the VAT on electricity and gas from the current 21% to 10%, as well as on biomass raw materials such as pellets and firewood, the energy production tax, currently at 7%, is temporarily eliminated and reduced from 5.5% to a special rate of 0.5%. Maximum retail prices for butane and propane are also frozen. The VAT on gasoline and diesel is also reduced, which, according to the Prime Minister's office, will result in a savings of approximately 30 cents per liter when filling up. Consumer organizations estimate that the reduction will be around 17 cents for diesel, which has seen the largest price increase. A key point, also included in the decree, is granting the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) new supervisory and sanctioning powers to prevent operators from exploiting the tax cut to increase their profit margins and enrich themselves. This is essential to prevent the tax reduction from benefiting certain companies more than citizens and, therefore, taxpayers.

It is still unknown what role Yolanda Díaz will play in the upcoming state elections. It is clear, however, that after relinquishing her leadership of the left wing of the PSOE, she will leave behind a legacy of seven years at the head of the Ministry of Labor, if the general elections are held in 2027. A union source closely involved with the government does not hesitate to describe the agenda of reforms and measures promoted by her ministry as a "turning point" in 2021.

Yolanda Díaz has renounced leading the space to the left of the PSOE without a clear successor. After the internal tensions generated by Sumar's personalism in 2023, the strategy for the elections scheduled for 2027 has been turned upside down. The priority is now alliances between parties, and ultimately, the name of the list leader will emerge. For now, Comuns, Més Madrid, Esquerra Unida, and Moviment Sumar have announced they will run in a coalition –without yet specifying how and with whom– with the aim of attracting other formations such as Podem, Compromís, Chunta Aragonesista, or Més per Mallorca. Díaz's step asideclears the way for new leaderships to emerge in a project presented as more of a collective effort. Who could replace her?

It was an open secret, and all that was missing was a date: this Wednesday, right after participating in the parliamentary question time for the Spanish government, was the day Yolanda Díaz chose to announce that she will not be a candidate in the general elections again. She will remain as Second Vice President of the Spanish government and Minister of Labor, but will no longer have a leading role in a national left-wing coalition, which has only now begun to show the results of months of negotiations. In a letter published on her social media, Díaz emphasizes that "the political space that Sumar created remains strong" and also highlights "ambitious" proposals. like the one Gabriel Rufián defends to broaden this space to include left-wing nationalist and pro-independence parties. Before making the letter public, Díaz had already announced her decision.

Julio Iglesias has decided to take Yolanda Díaz to court. The lawsuit, filed with the support of lawyer José Antonio Choclán, requests a conciliation hearing in which Díaz "acknowledges the damage caused" and retracts the statements she made both on social media and in the press. The Spanish vice president condemned on TVE thesexual assaults for which the singer is being investigated And she called for "decisive action": she expressed her support for withdrawing Iglesias' medals because she asserted that his behavior "requires exemplary action." "Criminal responsibility is one thing, and ethical responsibility is another," she explained, adding that the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, would soon make a decision regarding the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts. Yolanda Díaz, for her part, reacted to the singer's lawsuit through BlueSky and declared: "With or without lawsuits, women will no longer be silent." "I defend working women against anyone who violates their integrity and their rights, and I will not stop doing so," the Vice President asserted.

Before launching Sumar in 2023, Yolanda Díaz repeatedly emphasized that the project she wanted to lead wasn't about party labels or personalities, but rather a citizens' platform where political parties would play a secondary role, avoiding the partisan battles that have often characterized the left. In fact, the current Second Vice President of the Spanish government and Minister of Labor embarked on a nationwide tour—what she called a "listening process"—to present and connect her project with the public. Nothing went as planned: from the outset, Sumar became a platform centered around Yolanda Díaz, and the conflict with Podemos dominated the negotiations to form what ultimately became a traditional electoral coalition. Now, many of the key figures from Sumar three years ago have set out to revive a joint project—under the provisional title of Un Pas Endavant—and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Is it possible?

The debate about unity to the left of the PSOE has resurfaced strongly in recent days. Gabriel Rufián's call on Wednesday not to split the progressive vote The prospect of running together again in the upcoming general elections resonated this Saturday at another event in Madrid. Comunes, Más Madrid, Izquierda Unida, and Movimiento Sumar staged a demonstration that they will once again contest the elections scheduled for 2027, amid heightened anticipation. because of the Republican's proposalWhile these groups' approach differs from that of the ERC spokesperson in Congress, and there are no realistic expectations of bringing the pro-independence parties on board, the new electoral coalition—still in its very early stages—has emphasized the need to be as many actors as possible within a single candidacy. "We won't close the door to anyone," they stated. This appeal does reflect a desire—currently a pipe dream after the traumatic split at the beginning of the legislature—to attract Podemos. They have also included other parties with which they have previously joined forces, such as Compromís and Més per Mallorca. the Aragonese UnionOf these, only the Valencia fans attended the presentation, in which Yolanda Díaz was notably absent.

Before 500 people in a hall that two hours later would host a jazz concert, Gabriel Rufián posed a question: "What's the point of fourteen left-wing parties representing the same thing running in the same place, competing for positions?" After many days of speculation and discussions, the ERC spokesperson in Congress has outlined his proposal to form a united left-wing front for the upcoming general elections. His roadmap consists of establishing "three or four common programmatic points" for the left and having the parties run province by province. "Each one in their own home, and antifascism, the right to self-determination, and the improvement of living conditions, in everyone's home," he declared solemnly. He also opened the door to forming a joint parliamentary group in Congress. This took place at an event in the Galileo Galilei Hall in Madrid, where he was accompanied by Emilio Delgado, a regional deputy from Más Madrid.

Only bad faith or utter ignorance could give credence to Vox and its proposal to ban the burka and niqab in public spaces. They speak of "our culture" as if theirs were everyone's. Their stale patriotism, their Francoist nostalgia, their radical misogyny, and their freedom-crushing attitude are certainly not "our culture." But what's surprising isn't Vox's racism, but the ineptitude of a left wing that doesn't seem to see these things coming, and out of laziness, mediocrity, or cowardice, allows certain thorny issues to fester until they erupt in controversies like the one we're seeing these days.

After the internal booing within the Spanish government Amidst the PSOE-Sumar coalition government's push for tax breaks for landlords, Pedro Sánchez's administration is seeking a balance in its initial tax proposal to try and resolve the dispute. Specifically, the Socialist-led Ministries of Housing and Finance are exploring a formula that combines incentives for landlords who offer a rent reduction when a lease is up for renewal, and penalties for those who raise it, as announced this Friday. The Country Sources within the Ministry of Housing confirm this to ARA. However, the proposal is still in its very early stages, and Sumar, the minority partner, is not convinced. Sources from the party led by Yolanda Díaz confirm that the Socialist wing has put the proposal on the table—negotiations have been ongoing for some time—but insist that tax measures cannot be the only solution for controlling rental prices.

Collective bargaining is the forum where representatives of workers and companies meet to negotiate all aspects of working conditions, from wages and holidays to working hours. These agreements are formalized through collective bargaining agreements, a mechanism that, ironically, experienced a 16.89% drop in Catalonia last year. The employers' association Foment del Treball has indicated that in 2025, a total of 310 agreements were registered in the Principality, affecting 611,698 employees and 64,153 companies. This data is included in its latest report. Labor market and collective bargaining report, which was published this Thursday.