The BNG asks to raise the Minimum Interprofessional Wage to 60% of the average salary, up to 1,320 euros, as requested by the European Social Charter

The BNG asks to raise the Minimum Interprofessional Wage to 60% of the average salary, up to 1,320 euros, as requested by the European Social Charter

He BNG requests a Minimum Interprofessional Salary of 1,320 euroshigher than what central government experts say. This would correspond to a 60% of the average salary in our countryan idea that is refounded from Europe in the European Social Charter. With this initiative, the Government would have to take another step in the increase proposed by its experts and advisors.

The senator of the BNG, Carme da Silva, explains in the Upper House that the current Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI), which is located at 1,134 euros per month in 14 paymentsonly represented 51.5% of the average salary and last year reached 2,200 euros, according to data from the Tax Agency: “The current amount is very far from the salary recommended by the Council of Europe. That figure should be around 1,320 euros.

According to the BNG, the Government should take the data from the European Committee of Social Rights as a reference: “It should comply with the content provided for in the European Social Charter and be at 60% of the average salary by 2025”. Da Silva has also asked if the Government would be able to rectify this “non-compliance” and thus rectify and comply with the Social Charter.

Government experts

The expert committee was established at the beginning of January 2021 and was formed in order to determine at what pace The minimum income had to be raised so that workers did not lose purchasing power. It began working on November 26, 2024 and is made up of members of the executive, social agents and academic professionals.

These Government experts have recommended an increase in the SMI of 3.4% or 4.4% by 2025, after which the monthly salary would only rise to 1,173 or 1,184 euros gross per month, more than 100 euros below what the Galician Nationalist Bloc is asking for. The experts’ proposal would mean raise the minimum wage by 39 or 50 gross euros per month. If the experts’ report is presented publicly, the Ministry of Labor intends to convene employers and unions this week to listen to their proposals and negotiate the final increase.

Currently, the SMI stands at 1,134 euros per month for fourteen payments. The intention of the Ministry of Labor is to apply a retroactive increase from January 1, 2025, a work that the advisors would complete so that Workers’ Commissions (CCOO), the General Union of Workers (UGT), the Spanish Confederation of Organizations Business Organizations (CEOE) and the Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises (Cepyme) could negotiate it.

The latest increases to the SMI

In 2023, the Government agreed with the unions to raise the SMI by 8% for that year. An increase that was not supported by the CEOE, but was supported by the unions. Although CCOO and UGT did not approve the 2021 and 2022 increases, they did agree with the Government on the 2020 increase (from 900 to 950 euros per month).

In 2024, the ministry led by Yolanda Díaz agreed to raise the SMI from 1,080 euros to the current 1,134 euros. This increase was applied retroactively, but CEOE and Cepyme did not join the agreement, because, according to these confederations, the SMI was not also registered for public workers.

What the Government intends is to make a legal change in the Workers’ Statute so that this Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI) always represents at least 60% established by that European Social Charter.