The Ministry of Labour is seeking consensus with employers and trade unions to establish the increase in the minimum wage in 2026. It is necessary to amend the Law of de-indexation to apply the increase to public contracts, which depends on the Ministry of Finance. A 3.1% increase in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage has been proposed for 2026, reaching 1,221 euros gross, distancing itself from the unions’ request for 7.5% and the employers’ request for 1.5%. The parties consider an agreement possible, although the employers’ organisation conditions this on the possibility of passing the increase onto the prices of public contracts. The Secretary of State for Labour has expressed a desire to explore, together with the Ministry of Finance, the option of relaxing the de-indexation rules. The Law of de-indexation, approved in 2015, separates the updating of public prices from indicators such as inflation. A change would benefit a sector that employs 1.5 million people and represents 2.25% of GDP. This association indicates that 90% of expenses correspond to salaries, implying that any increase in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage has an effect that cannot be borne without adjusting the economic conditions of the contracts. Next Friday, Labour will meet again with the employers and trade unions following the internal evaluation of the proposed increase in the Minimum Wage.
