a ghost is walking Europeghost one inflation devouring purchasing power workers of the entire “Old Continent”. However, the sharp teeth of the price crisis are hitting some more than others, either because inflation is higher in some countries or because inflation is rising in some countries. fees they rise less. And this classification is not doing well in Spain, it is in the cabotage in terms of salary increases.
Eurostat updated salary data for 2022, an ‘annus horribilis’ for the vast majority of European workers, on Thursday. Spain The sixth state with the least increase in payrolls one last year 3% average In hourly rates, according to data from the European Statistical Office. The figure is almost identical to the figure recorded by the Ministry of Labor for collective agreements (2.8%), representing an increase of 30% less than the EU average, where payrolls increased by 4.4%.
European workers are more or less tightening their pockets as prices start to bubble up in parallel and the pressure of the war in Ukraine. In only two of the 27 EU member states, wages outstripped inflation and increased at a higher rate. It happened in the following cases Bulgaria And Romanialikewise, they are also the two states with the worst salaries.
For example, a Bulgarian worker receives a salary 7.1 euros gross hourly (1,136 euros gross per month), three times less than usual in Europe and 2.5 times less than a Spaniard earns (€17.5 gross per hour or € 2,800 gross per month). These are hourly approximations and averages, which can most often have significant differences with respect to salary. For example, according to INE data, the median salary in Spain in 2020 was 2,097 euros gross (12 payments) per month, with the highest number of workers receiving a gross monthly salary of 1,540 euros (12 payments).
blowing storm
In the case of Spain, wage growth has been one of the most parsimonious, although inflation was not the most aggressive in the entire Old Continent. Where they get the worst balance from the Salary-CPI binomial Estonia. There, payrolls increased 8.8% on average… compared to a 19.4% price increase. In other words, they lost 10.6 points of purchasing power. Cyprus It was the member country with the lowest loss with 0.6 points, with the only exceptions where workers scored green points, with Bulgaria and Romania.
The price storm is hitting workers’ purchasing power, causing protests across the Old Continent. For example, German public sector workers organized a transport strike at the end of last month. In this country, wage earners’ payrolls increased by 4.4% on average, compared to 8.7% inflation. There have also been protests in Portugal recently.It was spurred by a CPI that grew 8.1% compared to salaries that grew 4.3%.
Inside Francewhere the spark that ignited the social epidemic was Macron’s pension reformThe purchasing power loss of its employees has been one of the lowest. All over the Old Continent. In 2022, wages rose to 3.7% compared to prices that rose 5.9%. In other words, the French, who are now the most belligerent country in all of Europe, lost 2.2 percentage points of purchasing power, which is less than twice the Spaniards.
Spanish unions issued an ultimatum to employers this Thursday. first day of may. If CEOE do not sit down to negotiate a salary agreement that fairly distributes the costs of the price increase, CCOO And UGT They threatened to escalate their mobilization and disrupt the hitherto prevailing social peace.
“Inflation acts like termites, preventing more people from reaching the end of the month and creating a secret malaise. A society that filled hotels and catering services yesterday. Easter, tomorrow, shows a social epidemic in an irregular or unpredictable way. Had CCOO secretary general Unai Sordo predicted Macron’s backlash in France with his pensions?