Work meets today only with CCOO and UGT to address the rise of the SMI in the absence of CEOE

MADRID, 31 Ene.

Work meets today only with CCOO and UGT to address the rise of the SMI in the absence of CEOE

MADRID, 31 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Ministry of Labor and Social Economy will meet this Tuesday only with the CCOO and UGT to address the increase in the interprofessional minimum wage (SMI) for this year due to the refusal of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE) to attend the meeting.

The meeting, called for 11:00 am today, will be chaired by the Secretary of State for Employment, Joaquín Pérez Rey, with the participation of the CCOO, the Secretary of Trade Union Action, Mari Cruz Vicente, while, on behalf of the UGT , his deputy general secretary for Union Policy, Fernando Luján, will attend.

CEOE announced last night that it would not attend the meeting, alleging that "the conditions are not met" for its attendance because the Government has not carried out the mandatory consultation with the social agents in the course of January, nor has it made a formal proposal or provided a response. to what the employers did in their day, consisting of a 4% rise in the SMI by 2023, up to 1,040 euros gross per month.

The employer maintains this 4% proposal, which makes the establishment of a system of deductions applicable to the agricultural sector and a modification of the regulations of the Public Sector Contracts Law to affect the increase of the SMI in the contracts in execution, as indicated to Europa Press in sources of the business organization.

The confederation chaired by Antonio Garamendi hopes that the Executive will formally send it its proposal to raise the SMI so that it can be analyzed with its member organizations.

Until now, only one meeting has been held to address the rise in the SMI for 2023. It was last December 21 and the employer did not attend due to their discomfort with Labor due to the introduction of an amendment in the Employment Law that gave the Inspection of Labor the control of the causes of the collective dismissals and for coinciding that appointment with the celebration of the Board of Directors of the employer, the first after the re-election of Garamendi as president of the CEOE.

This Tuesday's meeting will take place after the advanced CPI data for January has shown an increase in the interannual rate of inflation of one tenth, up to 5.8%, and that core inflation has climbed to 7.5 %, its highest figure since December 1986, which has led the unions to insist on the need to raise the SMI now.

The Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, considers that the SMI is the "most effective" measure to get out of the crisis and "compensate for the loss of purchasing power" that families are experiencing.

For this reason, it has been in favor of raising the SMI of 2023 "towards the high section" recommended by the experts who advise the Government on this matter, which would increase this minimum income by 8.2%, up to 1,082 euros gross in 14 you pay.

For her part, the First Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economic Affairs, Nadia Calviño, has asked that a "good balance" be sought "within" the range of increases recommended by the experts, from 4.6% to 8.2%. , so that it is compatible with the creation of employment.

At the meeting held on December 21, the Government presented the recommendations made by the commission of experts, which proposed raising the SMI in this financial year between 46 and 82 euros per month, which would place this minimum income at between 1,046 euros and 1,082 euros gross per month for fourteen payments.

CCOO opts for the upper part of that band, 1,082 euros, with the possibility of extending it to 1,100 euros, a figure advocated by the UGT. The employers, for their part, have proposed in writing a 4% increase, up to an amount of 1,040 euros gross per month in 14 payments.

For now, the Government has extended the 2022 SMI, of 1,000 euros gross in 14 payments, until the new amount is set for this year. The Executive's objective and commitment is to reach 60% of the average Spanish salary.

Díaz assured at the end of 2022 that, once the 2023 SMI was approved, it would be retroactive from January 1 and opened the door to a review of this income in the middle of the year, depending on the behavior of inflation.

NEXT NEWS