Basque unionism unites to achieve its own minimum wage of about 1,600 euros

CCOO, ELA, LAB and UGT have proposed to Confebask the date of February 6 for the constitution of a negotiation table with the aim of reaching an interprofessional agreement that establishes an agreed minimum wage in Euskadi. The aforementioned unions, which have presented their requests separately to the Basque Labor Relations Council (CRL), do not share the figure, which is around 1,600 euros, but they do share the idea of ​​agreeing on their own minimum wage and transferring it to the agreement. The Basque employers’ association has confirmed that it will attend the meeting on February 6.

In a statement, ELA considers that, with this petition, “the complementary path” of the Interprofessional Agreement (AI) to the Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) is opened, presented by the unions ELA, LAB, ESK, Steilas, Hiru and Etxalde on January 8 before the parliaments of Euskadi and Navarra so that their institutions “have the capacity to establish their own minimum wage.”

Likewise, ELA has asked the Basque Government to pressure Confebask to sign the interprofessional agreement to set a minimum wage agreement in Euskadi. The union understands that if the Basque employers refuse, the Executive can support the ILP presented to set the SMI “here.”

For ELA, “Spain’s SMI does not serve to lift many people who work in the Basque Country out of poverty, nor to distribute the wealth generated by its working class” since, according to the latest data from the INE, the Basque GDP per capita is 39,547 euros, while that of Navarra is 37,088 euros and the State average is 30,968 euros. In turn, the average salary in the Basque Country is 32,313.73 euros; that of Navarra, of 29,189.52 euros and that of the State, of 26,948.87 euros.

These data, from the point of view of ELA, “clearly indicate that the socioeconomic structure of Euskadi and Navarra is different”, and that, depending on the prices of both autonomous communities, “the minimum wage in Spain is not valid as an instrument of distribution of wealth.”

The majority union in Euskadi recalls that “the Basque Government itself admitted in a report on poverty published in 2022 that, in order to live satisfactorily in Euskadi, an annual income of 19,848 euros is necessary. Two years later, in 2024, the SMI has been 15,876 euros and, based on the current debate, it will rise, in the most optimistic scenario, to 16,576 euros in 2025”, they emphasize from ELA.

Via collective bargaining

For its part, CCOO of Euskadi has demanded that Confebask “sit” at the negotiating table for an interprofessional agreement to set a minimum wage agreement in the Basque Country. In statements to the media, the Secretary of Union Action of CCOO Euskadi, Fran Osuna, recalled that CCOO has always defended the path of collective bargaining in bipartite spaces and it is what we must “continue betting on.”

In this sense, they believe that this approach of establishing this table is “a good initiative” to “further improve” the conditions of the workers of Euskadi and has highlighted the fact that “all” the unions have agreed . The last unitary agreement of Basque unionism was in 2017 to request the prevalence of the agreements signed in Euskadi.

Regarding the amount at which this minimum wage should be set, he indicated that it is necessary to differentiate between the Interprofessional Minimum Wage and the minimum wage agreed upon. As he has pointed out, in Euskadi, at the moment, the data “is diffuse” because it is possible to know what the minimum wage is, but it is not known “how many people it affects.” “It is a job that, to date, we do not have,” he added.

As he has pointed out, the SMI affects those people who do not have any reference to collective bargaining, that is, they “do not have a reference agreement” and, generally, those who are most affected are domestic workers, immigrants and, in general, specifically, mainly, to women.

The representative of CCOO has pointed out that, in Euskadi, at this time, there is a collective bargaining coverage rate of 96%, so that percentage of workers have a reference agreement, so that this interprofessional minimum wage “does not would affect.”

Finally, he indicated that they have held conversations with the rest of the union organizations, specifically, with UGT and LAB, and has indicated that they will continue to be held. Osuna has indicated that “the ideal” would be to be able to work on a joint proposal for the meeting on February 6.

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Basque unionism unites to achieve its own minimum wage of about 1,600 euros