MADRID, 24 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -
The general secretary of the General Union of Workers (UGT), Pepe Álvarez, has indicated that there is "still" no agreement with the Ministry of Labor to determine which statistics will be used to calculate the average salary in Spain.
"We are not sure what statistics are used to see what the average salary in our country is. There are three known ones and the Government, at the time, wanted a fourth. We, in fact, are working on the three that are known, which are the of the Treasury, Social Security and Eurostat, which place 60% of the average salary in our country at around 1,200 euros," he detailed in an interview on Onda Cero collected by Europa Press.
Likewise, he reminded the CEOE that the agreement for the negotiation of collective agreements, reached by unions and employers in May, "never" has been used for negotiations on the Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI), for which he has reiterated his refusal to accept the CEOE's proposal to raise the SMI by 6% in two years.
"The minimum wage has to take into consideration that inflation is skyrocketing and that the prices of the products that people governed by the SMI consume the most are those that have grown the most, and with that will and with that spirit we are going to negotiate" , has added.
This is how the union member has referred to the proposal made by the CEOE, which involves raising the SMI by 3% by 2024, from the current 1,080 euros for fourteen payments to 1,112.4 euros per month, and applying another 3% increase for 2025, which would place it at 1,145.77 euros per month at that time.
From UGT and Workers' Commissions (CCOO) they stated in a statement sent yesterday to the media that CEOE's offer for the increase in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI) is "insufficient" and they advocated taking into account the evolution of product prices. basics, such as food, for their increase.
However, the unions pointed out that the SMI must provide "the minimum of sufficiency and dignity" indicated in the European Social Charter (60% of the average salary), so it is not appropriate to link the increases in the SMI to what was agreed in the V Agreement.
"IT SEEMS REASONABLE TO LISTEN TO THE CEOE"
On the other hand, Álvarez has indicated that they will go to the negotiation table to listen to the CEOE's proposal, because the "reasonable" thing to do is to listen, although he recalled that the minimum wage has always been calculated with the CPI with which the year ends. year, therefore, the increase proposed by the employers' association of 3% for 2024 would not be consistent with what was agreed upon either.
"The agreement for collective bargaining includes an increase of 3% plus 1% more for next year [depending on the evolution of inflation]. Therefore, there is a margin that we want to discuss with the employers," he assured. the union leader in statements to the media during his participation in the event honoring women victims of sexist violence in Madrid.
Likewise, he recalled that the average increase in collective agreements, since the V Agreement for Collective Bargaining was signed with the employers, is greater than 4%.
"We have a goal in this legislature that must begin to be met imminently and that is that the minimum wage in our country has to be sixty percent of the average wage," he reiterated.
