The minimum wage in Spain and the European Social Charter: the permanent disagreement

Abstract

The entry of the euro as a currency meant, for Spain, a loss of purchasing power for workers with lower salaries and average salaries have not reached the pre-2008 crisis levels. As we have found ourselves in the COVID-19 global pandemic, with significant socio-economic impact, our government has finally taken up art. 4 of the European Social Charter, which establishes the right of working people to a fair remuneration that allows them and their families to obtain a decent standard of living. This international treaty is the most effective tool for the establishment of a national minimum wage appropriate to each country. This point seems to have been forgotten by our political leaders in previous years, despite the insistence of the European Committee on Social Rights, which established that Spain had failed to comply with the Charter. This paper analyzes the concept of the national minimum wage from the Spanish legal perspective, its evolution and its future in order to verify the degree of compliance with the European Social Charter and the achievement of a decent standard of living for working people.