Madrid (EFE).- The CEOE has announced tonight that “the conditions are not met” so that it can attend the meeting that the Ministry of Labor has called this Tuesday to try to close an agreement with employers and unions regarding the rise of the minimum interprofessional wage (SMI) for 2023.
In a statement, CEOE explains that it already transferred its approach to the Ministry in December regarding the SMI without receiving a response, so it will not attend the meeting and is “waiting to formally receive a proposal from the Government to to be able to discuss it in depth” with their organizations.
Between 4 of the employers and 10% of the unions
The employer maintains that the minimum wage should rise by 4%, up to 1,040 euros gross per month in 14 payments, subject to establishing a system of deductions applicable to the agricultural sector and modifying the regulations for price revisions in contracts with the public sector in order to pass on the increase of the SMI in the contracts in execution.
Faced with the position of the CEOE, the UGT and CCOO unions believe that the SMI would have to rise at least 10%, up to 1,100 euros gross per month, while the second vice president and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, has been in favor of an increase that is located in the upper part of the range proposed by the committee of experts (between 1,046 and 1,082 euros).
For her part, the First Vice President and Minister of Economic Affairs, Nadia Calviño, has been insisting for days that the rise in the SMI should be part of an income agreement between employers and unions that establishes guidelines for the set of wages negotiated in the collective agreement.
The final decision will be made by the Government.
The general secretary of UGT, Pepe Álvarez, has criticized this Monday the intention of the first vice president to want to link the SMI to collective bargaining because his concern is in the lowest wages, “those who are having more difficulties to reach the end of month”.
The final decision on the SMI is made by the Government, which is only obliged to consult the social agents and which has indicated that the increase will be applied retroactively from January 1.
