Unai Sordo, the general secretary of the CCOO, stated on Wednesday that the CEOE would likely only engage in negotiations for a three-year salary agreement covering 2022, 2023 and 2024 after a substantial unionization effort. While underscoring the goal of preserving workers’ purchasing power, he signaled willingness to discuss with employers how this objective could be implemented throughout the life of what is described as a State Collective Bargaining Agreement (AENC). In media remarks, Sordo noted that the interprofessional minimum wage this year is absorbing inflation and is expected to surpass the government’s stated target, reaching around 1,100 euros for the upcoming year, a figure aligned with the European Social Charter’s benchmarks for wage protection.
A three-year salary framework is positioned as the core element of the broader income agreement requested by social institutions to moderate salary growth and profit margins. From the CCOO perspective, the proposal is seen as supporting sectors in need of comparable rises to counter 2022 inflation, while also advocating improvements to unemployment benefits, direct assistance for vulnerable families, and measures to soften the impact of high energy costs, including a new mechanism for delaying RED activation.
Price spiral controversy
In addressing critics who argue that a linked wage increase could fuel inflation, Sordo contended that consensus on a wage rise without triggering a price spiral could be achieved through increases of 3.5 to 5 percent across the years 2022, 2023 and 2024. He pointed to a salary guarantee clause designed to gradually restore purchasing power. Depending on the negotiated wage levels for each year, the agreement could include provisions allowing for adjustments aligned with inflation, ensuring wages do not lose buying power. He argued that by the end of 2024 inflation would slow, corporate surpluses would grow, and workers would be compensated, thereby preventing a price spiral. These points were presented as the unions’ position for consideration at the negotiating table.
In May, the CCOO and UGT unions proposed to the employer side annual minimum wage increases of 3.5 percent in the first year, 2.5 percent in 2023, and 2 percent in 2024, coupled with review clauses. Inflation was cited as the key factor to prevent erosion of workers’ purchasing power. Employers rejected the idea of linking wage growth to inflation, and talks slated for early and mid-summer were interrupted. Chief executive Antonio Garamendi of the business association continued to oppose guaranteeing a wage rise tied to inflation, warning that it could ignite a wage-price spiral. On the same day, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged business leaders to work together to remove barriers to negotiating multiple collective agreements and to encourage higher wages, expressing the need for a sense of shared responsibility from employers in a televised interview.
Both sides showed resolve: employers would not easily concede wage growth in step with inflation for 2022-2024, while unions pressed for a wage guarantee clause. Sordo indicated openness to negotiating how to restore purchasing power, suggesting that if a 7 percent raise had been accepted this year, a wage increase mirroring inflation would have been a reasonable concession. When talks resume, there could be room for dialogue, though the unions expect intensified mobilization before any broader agreement is reached. In the near term, both CCOO and UGT are expected to finalize a calendar that blends nationwide mobilizations with sector- or company-specific actions, as appropriate. A general strike remains ruled out for the time being.