partial pre-agreement
The Ministry of Finance and Public Administration announced an improved salary offer for officers for the coming years. Negotiators on behalf of Minister María Jesús Montero pushed for a 7.5 percent increase through 2024, surpassing the 6 percent proposal presented the day prior for transfer to the unions this Thursday afternoon. While progress appears real, no formal deal has been struck yet. Negotiating bodies will now present the terms to the government’s top authorities, who will decide whether to endorse the proposal and finalize an agreement. The measure would affect 3.4 million public employees directly. Attribution: Ministry of Finance press office, 2024
The latest Treasury bid outlines a phased adjustment: an additional 1.5 percent retroactive increase for the current year, joining a 2 percent already in place. The extra 1.5 point would be paid as an end-of-year bonus. For 2023, the plan calls for a fixed 2.5 percent increase plus a variable component, potentially reaching 3.5 percent depending on whether the cumulative Consumer Price Index exceeds 6 percent and the GDP exceeds 5.9 percent between 2022 and 2023. Through 2024, the raise would be 2 percent plus an additional 0.5 percent contingent on whether CPI for 2022–2024 surpasses 8 percent. Opinions among the negotiating centers vary, but the overall salary uplift under these terms would total 7.5 percent through 2024. When considering the 2 percent already in effect for the current year, some observers interpret the outlook as a 9.5 percent rise in total from the start of the period. Attribution: Treasury negotiation briefing, 2024
Some centers have described the layout as a partial pre-agreement. Negotiators in major unions such as UGT and CCOO expressed a willingness to accept the latest terms while noting that the government has room for further improvement. They indicated confidence that the governing bodies meeting this Friday would provide a clear signal of approval. Union sources cited the improvement over the initial CSIF proposal, while maintaining that the terms remain insufficient and that pressure would continue on Monday to seek additional enhancements or withdraw the deal. The executive reportedly intends to bring the agreed terms to the Cabinet next Tuesday for final authorization. Attribution: union briefings, 2024
Beyond salary figures, negotiation centers pressed for improvements in working hours and coverage during sick leave. A key objective remains reducing the workweek to 35 hours, a priority given the Treasury offers that could erode purchasing power for public servants. Forecasts from Funcas suggest wage growth will average about 3.5 percent from 2022 onward, while inflation is expected to close near 8 percent, underscoring the ongoing gap between earnings and cost of living. Two additional protections retain prominence: the full payment of salaries from the first day of temporary incapacity is preserved across all administrations, though not universally adopted yet; and there is ongoing discussion about mechanisms to accelerate access to pension benefits for affected employees. Attribution: sector analyses, 2024