Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday announced an "
immediate
"
increase
in the minimum wage, the third in two years, reiterating his goal of increasing this income to 60% of the average wage by the end of the legislature in 2023.
"
There will be no economic recovery if it is not fair, if it does not reach all layers of society,
" said the socialist leader during a speech marking the start of the political season.
"
This is why the government's desire is to initiate an immediate increase in the minimum wage for the rest of the year,
" continued Pedro Sanchez, without specifying at this stage the level of this increase.
This announcement comes as negotiations began Wednesday between the Ministry of Labor and union and employer officials on the level of the minimum wage (SMI), currently 1,108 euros gross monthly over twelve months.
In 2019, the government of Pedro Sanchez had already increased the minimum wage by 22%, to 1,050 euros gross.
This revaluation was followed by a second increase of 5.5% in January 2020.
These increases, the largest in decades, are intended to raise the Spanish minimum wage - until then very low - to that of its European neighbors. They arouse reluctance on the part of employers, who are worried about their impact on the cost of labor.