Madrid (Spain), Feb. 16 (LaPresse) – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who today signed the agreement for the 3.1% increase in the interprofessional minimum wage in 2026, stressed that this increase is "a very important step to improve the lives of 2.5 million workers", particularly women and young people. The socialist leader pointed out that the beneficiaries of the new increase "do not make headlines, but support the real economy every morning" when they "open a shop, care for an elderly person, serve a coffee, drive a vehicle or spend hours in front of a machine or a screen". The Prime Minister recalled that this is the eighth increase in the interprofessional minimum wage since 2018, that is, since he took office, for a cumulative increase of over 66% in eight years. The minimum wage has in fact risen from 735 euros per month to 1,221 euros gross per month in 14 payments. Sanchez argued that increasing the interprofessional minimum wage is "a matter of social justice and economic intelligence, which disproves those who predicted the disaster of any economy in the face of the SMI increase" since "the facts prove it", with more employment, consumption and job stability. "This government has chosen the path of bringing growth to paychecks, of ensuring shared prosperity, of strengthening our economy not at the expense of weakening wages, but precisely by increasing them. This increase in the interprofessional minimum wage sends a very clear and powerful message to millions of people: their work is important, their commitment is important and their dignity is important," added the Spanish Prime Minister.
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