Irene Montero wants to place salaries and the cost of living at the center of the debate before the general elections on November 29. The Podemos candidate has considered the increase in the interprofessional minimum wage (SMI) that the Government is preparing for 2027 insufficient and has demanded that it be raised to 1,800 euros per month, along with a reduction in the working week to 30 hours.
The leader reacted this way to the draft from the Ministry of Labor that proposes raising the minimum wage by 5.3% next year, to 1,286 gross euros per month in 14 payments. "Someone could say: that's better than nothing. But everyone knows that with 1,286 euros you can't live," she stated during the presentation of Podemos candidates in different territories.
Montero has focused on the difficulties many workers face in paying for housing and covering daily expenses such as the shopping basket or fuel. In her opinion, the increase proposed by the Executive falls short given the rising cost of living and a more ambitious response is needed so that salaries allow people to live comfortably.
Her intervention comes in the midst of the pre-campaign, with housing and purchasing power among the main social concerns. The former Minister of Equality has defended that Podemos is running for 29N with proposals to improve the material conditions of the majority and has questioned why measures aimed at increasing workers' incomes are presented as unfeasible while price increases are accepted.
"Why is what is unaffordable always what benefits people?" she asked. Along with the minimum wage of 1,800 euros, she has demanded a 30-hour work week because, she summarized, "life is for living."
¿Por qué siempre nos dicen que es "inviable" lo que beneficia a la gente mientras tú debes asumir los abusos de los millonarios?
— Podemos (@PODEMOS) November 5, 2026
Ante la subida de los alquileres y de la cesta de la compra, nosotras decimos que el salario mínimo debe ser 1.800 euros.
🎥 @IreneMontero pic.twitter.com/sTP79Nmc67
A raise still pending approval
The increase on which Montero has commented is included in a draft royal decree submitted for public hearing, so it still needs to be approved by the Council of Ministers. The deadline to submit allegations ends on November 16, and the Government's intention is to push through the measure before the general elections.
If approved in the proposed terms, the SMI would go from 1,221 gross euros per month in 14 payments in force in 2026 to 1,286 euros in 2027. That's 65 euros more per payment, or an additional 910 euros per year, reaching 18,004 gross euros annually for a full-time job. With prorated extraordinary payments, the amount would be equivalent to about 1,500 gross euros per month in 12 installments.
The Ministry of Labor's proposal exceeds the 4.9% recommended by the expert commission, but falls short of the 7% demanded by CCOO and UGT. The Executive has consulted unions and employers, although the presented figure does not yet have an agreement with them.
The Podemos candidate has linked her request to a reality that goes beyond those who earn the minimum wage. The National Institute of Statistics placed the most frequent salary in 2024 at 16,520 gross euros annually, while the median salary —which divides workers into two halves— was 24,497 euros and the average reached 29,540 euros. These are data from that year and reflect annual remunerations with different working hours and employment situations.
The distance between these figures helps to understand why the average salary alone does not show the situation of all workers. For Montero, even having a job ceases to be a guarantee of stability when an increasingly larger part of income must be allocated to housing and basic expenses.
The candidate has also defended other Podemos proposals, such as limiting the prices of basic products, increasing taxes on large fortunes, and creating a public supermarket. Measures with which the party intends to dispute the economic debate in a campaign where salary increases will coexist with demands for access to housing.
La desigualdad es la principal brecha que existe en nuestra sociedad. Cada vez más dinero acumulado en menos manos y a costa de cualquier cosa.
— Podemos (@PODEMOS) November 5, 2026
Queremos el dinero baje, que haya bienestar para todas y todos, sin excusas ni parches. Paz, casa y trabajo.
🎥 @IreneMontero pic.twitter.com/kqZMxusBmR
During the event, Montero also claimed Podemos' alliance with ERC in Catalonia, led there by Gabriel Rufián, and criticized appeals for a useful vote aimed at concentrating support on the PSOE. Against these, she asked voters to vote according to their convictions and argued that a strong representation of Podemos in Congress will serve to promote its social proposals.
