Briefing
The General Secretary of Comisiones Obreras, Unai Sordo, on 7 September 2026 called for a substantial increase in Spain's minimum wage for 2027 at a breakfast meeting at the Ateneo de Madrid . Sordo called for an increase of “more than 5 per cent”, which he said should exceed the expected average wage growth. The union intends to present its position shortly together with the UGT in detail.
Sordo cited the continuing loss of purchasing power among low-paid workers as justification. The Salario Mínimo Interprofesional (SMI) was set at 1,221 euros gross per month for 2026 by royal decree; at the same time, the Instituto Nacional de Estadística reported a provisional inflation rate of 4.3 per cent for August 2026. Against this backdrop, CCOO and UGT consider an above-average adjustment necessary to prevent the real wages of minimum-wage earners from falling further.
A key part of the demand is also to limit the current practice of “absorption and compensation” of wage allowances. This refers to the possibility of employers offsetting part of the allowances against the new minimum wage, thereby cancelling out the actual improvement for employees. CCOO insists that an SMI increase must not be neutralised by removing or reducing allowances; the Ministry of Labour has already announced preliminary steps towards reform, according to union representatives.
Sordo presented the minimum-wage demand as part of a broader wage policy aimed in particular at low-paid sectors. Employers' associations, for their part, warn of higher costs in labour-intensive industries; no new official figures quantifying immediate effects were available at Monday's meeting. The government decides the specific process and timetable for setting the SMI; consultations with the social partners are customary beforehand.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).