The last time Pedro Sánchez ratified an increase in the national minimum wage (SMI) was in 2020, from the Moncloa Palace, following an agreement with the major unions, CCOO and UGT, and the Spanish employers' associations, CEOE and Cepyme. Six years later, Sánchez has once again presided over another minimum wage increase. This time, he did so from the Ministry of Labor, alongside the Minister, Yolanda Díaz (Sumar), and the two union leaders, Unai Sordo (CCOO) and Pepe Álvarez (UGT), but without the employers' associations, with whom Sánchez did not hesitate to distance himself. The Spanish president criticized the employers' associations for withdrawing from the agreement to raise the SMI to €1,221 per month by 2026. "Where are the employers?" the Spanish president asked this Monday at the signing ceremony for the new increase. "It is unacceptable that in a context of economic prosperity, those earning the minimum wage are scrutinized while those earning a lot of money are not," Sánchez said. On the eve of negotiations between unions and employers to update the current agreement for employment and collective bargaining (AENC), the Spanish president endorsed the position. "Pay them more!""From Joe Biden four years ago. "Let them pay more," he said. "Let no one tell us that salaries can't be raised when profits grow, when the economy is advancing," Sánchez reiterated.

An average of more than 500 complaints per day. This is the volume of grievances handled by the economic-administrative courts—bodies attached to the Ministry of Finance—an essential avenue for challenging tax assessments before resorting to the courts, according to regulations. It represents a veritable avalanche of work for these entities. However, in 2024—according to the latest available data—complaints decreased by 17.87% compared to the previous year, reaching 196,442. Conversely, the number of cases resolved, which reached 222,737, increased by 14.20%. The economic-administrative courts in Madrid lead the way in complaints, with more than 33,000; followed by those in Andalusia, with 31,000, and those in Catalonia, with 30,395—the three most populous autonomous communities.

The Ministry of Labor and the UGT and CCOO unions, but not the employers' associations, have agreed this Thursday to raise the minimum interprofessional wage (SMI). 1,221 euros gross in 14 paymentsThis represents a 3.1% increase compared to 2025. It's a rise of 37 euros per month, as announced by the Secretary of State for Labor, Joaquín Pérez Rey. The Council of Ministers will soon approve the salary increase, which will be retroactive to January 1st of this year. The employers' associations CEOE and Cepyme have distanced themselves from the agreement and rejected the increase, as anticipated in the statement released Thursday morning, in which they labeled the tax deduction in corporate income tax for the companies most affected by the pay increase as "deceptive" and "interventionist." According to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and the unions agree that this salary level will remain exempt from personal income tax.

The Ministry of Labor has proposed a 3.1% increase in the national minimum wage (SMI) to social partners for 2026, maintaining this reference salary exempt from taxation. This would raise it from €1,184 to €1,221 gross per month, paid in 14 installments (an increase of €37). The Spanish employers' association and the major unions CCOO and UGT agreed to study the proposal, as explained at a press conference this Wednesday by the Secretary of State for Employment, Joaquín Pérez Rey, following the meeting between social partners to try to reach an agreement. The positions of the employers' and workers' representatives were quite far apart, as is usual when it comes to increasing the SMI. The unions wanted a 7.5% increase up to 1,273 euros per month, The employers' association CEOE lowered that figure to 1.5%.For its part, the committee of experts that advises the Spanish government In this matter, he proposed raising it by 37 euros per month (1,221 euros per month in 14 payments) by 2026 if it remained tax-exempt, or by 56 euros per month (up to 1,240 euros) if it were subject to income tax. Ultimately, the first option was chosen. Despite the disagreements between the different positions, after this latest meeting, Pérez Rey asserted that the dialogue between both parties was "sincere and very constructive." However, for now, neither unions nor employers have left the meeting with a yes or no to this proposal from the ministry led by Yolanda Díaz. The high-ranking official from the Ministry of Labor also expressed openness to "exploring" with the Treasury the possibility of "relaxing" the indexation rules related to the impact on public sector salaries. This was a recurring complaint from the employers' associations CEOE and Cepyme, who criticize the fact that with the latest increases in the minimum wage, it was necessary to update the bids in order to pass on this increase in labor costs to the administration, since they claim that this reduces the profitability of companies. The unions have also supported this review of prices in public contracts in line with any regulatory changes that may be approved, as outlined in the latest National Collective Bargaining Agreement (Agreement for Employment and Collective Bargaining, the state framework that serves as a guide in collective bargaining) approved in 2023. The Deputy Minister of Labor stated that it makes perfect sense that increases in the Minimum Wage (SMI) cannot be passed on to what companies charge the government for their services and mentioned sectors such as cleaning and private security, jobs with low wages closer to the minimum wage that have seen salary increases in recent years. "It's a matter of fairness," said the Deputy Minister. He also noted that the new European directive on minimum wages—which the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) almost fully endorsed last November—already requires member states to incorporate it. [BK_SLT_LNA~ Exempt from Personal Income Tax]

Regarding the exemption of the minimum wage from income tax, Pérez Rey explained that this position was agreed upon with the Ministry of Finance, which will be responsible for the technical implementation of this measure. However, the Ministry of Labor is confident that the "2025 approach" will be followed and the tax relief will be presented in terms similar to those agreed upon last year. "The minimum wage cannot lose even a tenth of a percent of its purchasing power; those who earn it should not be the ones who pay taxes. Tax justice begins with those who have the most, not those who have the least," Pérez Rey emphasized. The Spanish minimum wage has been one of the flagship measures of the Spanish coalition government—first with the PSOE and Podemos, and now with the Socialists and Sumar—which has increased it by 61% since taking office. "It is the main antidote to inequality. This is an increase that makes the difference between decent wages and those that are not," the Secretary of State for Labor asserted. Following the meeting, Fernando Luján, Deputy General Secretary for Trade Union Policy at UGT, and Javier Pacheco, Secretary for Trade Union Action at CCOO, described Wednesday's meeting as "positive" and welcomed the Spanish government's willingness to relax the law on the de-indexation of public contracts. Pacheco noted that although their proposed increase to the minimum wage for 2026 was 7.5 percent, the union "will not obstruct" reaching an agreement that guarantees this benchmark will reach 60 percent of the average net Spanish salary. He also celebrated that the increase is above the projected inflation rate of 2.8 percent for 2025. "We are living in times that require us all to pull together to provide reassurance," Luján stated.

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The employers' associations CEOE and Cepyme agreed on Tuesday to propose a 1.5% increase in the national minimum wage (SMI) by 2026, which would bring it to €1,202 gross per month, paid in 14 monthly installments (€16,824 gross annually). The organizations stated that this increase is in line with the planned raise for public sector employees next year and coincides "with the objectives of the European minimum wage directive." A few weeks ago The CCOO and UGT unions proposed raising the minimum wage by 7.5%....up to €1,273 gross per month, and to include income tax (IRPF) for the first time. Meanwhile, the committee of experts convened by the Ministry of Labor has not yet submitted its proposal. According to a statement released by employers, data from the Active Population Survey (EPA) shows that the minimum wage (SMI) has already exceeded 60% of the average net salary used by the Ministry, headed by Yolanda Díaz, as the criterion for setting it. "CEOE and Cepyme use the EPA as a reference because the Wage Structure Survey (EES), which serves as the basis for calculating the average salary for the group of experts advising the Ministry of Labor, does not include wages in agriculture, livestock farming, fishing, or domestic service, among others, which creates... "These sectors are heavily reliant on labor and concentrate a large part of the minimum wage, so the average salary resulting from the Wage Structure Survey is higher than the actual figure, and the resulting minimum wage is oversized," the employers' associations argued. In their view, the latest minimum wage increases are "penalizing employment" in these sectors. According to their calculations, using the EPA (Active Population Survey) data for 2025 as a reference, the minimum wage would be €15,760 gross per year, €816 less per year. "In other words, the minimum wage is currently 4.9% higher than it should be," the employers' associations CEOE and Cepyme stated. In fact, they believe the minimum wage should not be increased next year, but they propose a 1.5% increase because it aligns with the planned increase for civil servants and the objectives of the European directive for setting the minimum wage. "Precisely to respect collective bargaining, we are conditioning this 1.5% increase on..." "Compliance with the absorption and compensation rules of the Workers' Statute," they say.

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For many decades, the global oil industry was dominated by a group of oil companies known as "the Seven Sisters," a number that was echoed in a fractal pattern within the Spanish banking sector, where the oligopoly controlling it consisted of seven banks, the so-called "Big Seven." Aside from this informal lobby, in 1977 the banking sector founded an employers' association called the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), which during its first period (1977-1990) was chaired by a Catalan from the Garraf region: Rafael Termes Carreró. Termes's presence in the banking association was explained by his role at Banco Popular, where he had served as CEO since 1966.

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Conpymes, of which the Catalan employers' association Pimec is a member, filed an administrative appeal against the Community of Madrid for granting subsidies "by finger-pointing." The complaint has already been admitted for processing by the High Court of Justice of Madrid, according to this organization, chaired by José María Torres.

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It has been days since the Congress of Deputies brought together so many senior executives from some of the country's main companies, and also the highest representative of the Catalan employers' association Foment del Treball, Josep Sánchez Llibre, and from the Spanish CEOE, Antonio Garamendi. In fact, they are all usually reluctant to be photographed at events that go beyond the business and economic sphere, and they put up even more obstacles if they enter fully into a political space.

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The president of the Spanish employers' association CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, is a figure in himself. A figure who, in the almost eight years he has led the organization, has had to protect his throne on several occasions, and for the moment he has come out on top. However, his image is beginning to weaken, and despite having already taken charge of modifying the association's statutes to eliminate the limitation of two four-year terms per president to be eligible for a third term, the next elections are scheduled to be held in 2026, and recent events do not indicate his best performance.

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Ángela de Miguel defeated Gerardo Cuerva, who was running for re-election, in the elections held by Cepyme, the Spanish employers' association for small and medium-sized enterprises and part of CEOE, the main business organization in Spain.

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"We have been analyzing the situations regarding the mandates of the most representative agents, we have generated an internal debate, and unanimously it has been proposed to maintain the two-term limit, adding the possibility of a third term under exceptional conditions." This is how the president of Pimec, Antoni Cañete, announced a key point of the modification of the statutes voted on at the general meeting this Tuesday, which until now limited the number of terms for a single president to two. As Cañete pointed out, this "2+1" concept would be used "only in circumstances where a third term must be considered."

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The employers' war over representation returns to the courts. The Spanish employers' association CEOE, chaired by Antonio Garamendi, has appealed to the National Court against the entry of the Catalan company Pimec into the National Advisory Commission on Collective Bargaining Agreements (CCNCC). The Ministry of Labor had given ten days, starting April 10, for CEOE and Pimec to reach an agreement. a new distribution of the six seats in the CCNCC, which are currently occupied by the Garamendi employers' association (5) and Cepyme (1).

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Pimec takes a new step toward becoming part of the social dialogue in Spain. The Official State Gazette (BOE) published today an order from the Ministry of Labor that continues and develops the provisions of a previous provision governing the appointment of union and company representatives to the National Advisory Commission on Collective Bargaining Agreements (CCNCC), pursuant to Royal Decree 1362/20.

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Since Juan José López Burniol, historic vice president of the La Caixa Foundation, announced his resignation At the beginning of December 2024, after the promotion of Josep Maria Coronas to the position of general director of the Foundation, the question of who would occupy his position was hovering over the La Caixa galaxy. Finally, It will be Javier Godó, Count of Godó and president-editor of The Vanguard, who will occupy the vice presidency of the Foundation, in a surprise appointment, approved unanimously by the leadership of the Foundation. Likewise, Caixa Engineers has a new president for its insurance company, the Círculo Ecuestre has a new member on the board and Garamendi's CEOE incorporates the former head of the Royal Household. These are some of the most notable signings of the week.

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Probably more as a delaying tactic than out of conviction, but this Thursday the Spanish employers' association CEOE has opened a debate that until now has been taboo for the social partners: the possibility of the minimum wage being different depending on the territory. The president of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, has argued it in a very simple way by recalling that collective agreements have a provincial scope, and that a worker in the metal sector in Vizcaya does not earn the same as one in Murcia, or even one in Guipúzcoa. "In areas such as Madrid and Barcelona, the cost of living has little to do with other parts of Spain", Garamendi said in an interview.

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