"The social, cultural, trade union and political network of Hego Euskal Herria is different from that of other territories, both in its composition and in its model", he added. The unions ELA, LAB, ESK, Steilas, Etxalde and Hiru have adhered to this premise in favor of their own minimum wage, as they consider it "a step forward towards sovereignty".

But not only that, as you have explained, the minimum wage is also a "mechanism for sharing wealth and social cohesion", and the SMI which now sets 1,134 euros for the entire Spanish state "is far from guaranteeing decent living conditions for the workers of Hego Euskal Herria".

These unions have registered in the Basque Parliament and in the Parliament of Navarre the People's Legislative Initiative (ILP), which aims to "have the capacity to set a minimum wage". EH Bildu has already said that he will support him. In addition, along the same lines, these trade unions will work together on initiatives to reach an inter-professional agreement from now on, since, in their view, they are "complementary avenues".

Negotiations for the updating of the SMI are now under way both by the Spanish Government and by Spanish trade union and business organisations. A committee of experts has preferred the minimum wage to be an increase of between 3.4% and 4.4%, which represents a maximum increase of EUR 50, up to EUR 1,184 per year.

The Basque trade unions, however, have the much higher barrier, taking into account the socio-economic reality of Hego Euskal Herria. LAB has claimed a minimum wage of EUR 1,600, or 60% of the average wage, as set out in the European Social Charter (EPS). ELA, for its part, proposed a total of EUR 1,795 in September, compared to EUR 1,795 in 2012.

Now, the trade union majority has chosen to fight together for these demands, to present the ILP and to move together towards an inter-professional agreement.

Basque Government: "They have our commitment."

The Basque Government’s Minister for Economy, Labour and Employment, Mikel Torres, highlighted at a press conference “this government’s commitment to this project” and said that “there is no need for competences” to reach an inter-professional agreement. In this regard, he recalled that the Basque Government decided to allocate an economic item to the negotiating table to "create the conditions for an inter-branch agreement".

Torres has also explained that a report is being prepared so that this salary can be established "with objective data" and that a plan is being drawn up. In this respect, the counsellor pointed out at a press conference that there may be a minimum "wage margin" – something Confesbask suggested – and recalled that the agreement should be negotiated between trade unions and employers.