180-degree turn by the Ministry of Social Security in its proposal for quotas for the self-employed, with the same – “or even worse” – results, negotiation sources point out: it still does not satisfy almost anyone. The department led by Elma Saiz has gone in just one week from proposing a scenario of increases for all sections, with fees of between 217 and 796 euros in 2026 (and from 252 to 1,200 euros in 2028), to a proposal that only addresses 2026, which freezes the fee for those who earn the least, but barely raises it for everyone else. Nor to workers with higher incomes, something that has outraged unions and progressive self-employed organizations, without gaining the support of employers.
The measure under debate is the Social Security contributions for the coming years, those that then give the right to benefits such as sick leave, maternity leave and future pension. In 2022, it was agreed that the contributions would approximate the real income of the workers, as is the case with salaried workers, a historic demand of the group in the face of their scarce benefits. The self-employed could choose how much to contribute and the vast majority (85%) did so for the minimum, which then translated into lower benefits. The gap in pensions is still around 40%, about 650 euros less per month.
Under the mandate of José Luis Escrivá, the Government reached a reform agreement so that the self-employed could finally contribute for their earnings, with a transition period of ten years, until 2032. Escrivá agreed on the contributions for the first three years, from 2023 to 2025, and now Minister Elma Saiz had the task of continuing that path.
Although last Monday it proposed increases for the next three years, 2026 to 2028, with which it received a multitude of criticisms, this morning Social Security has rectified with a new quota table, which only addresses 2026 and which includes very limited increases: between 1% and 2.5%. Even below inflation, which stood at 3% in September.
The first proposal received two fronts of criticism. In general terms, several progressive parties and groups showed their reluctance to the increase in quotas proposed for the self-employed with less earnings and asked for “more progressivity”, with greater increases for those who earn the most. On the political and economic right, the measure was described as a “sablazo”, with a general rejection of the increase in quotas, which on many occasions They confused in their messages with a “tax increase”.
Minister Elma Saiz has stated that the new proposal “recognizes all the sensitivities” that came to them after their first offer. His number two, the Secretary of State for Social Security, Borja Suárez, has stated that the Ministry has chosen to take “a more prudent step”: sticking only to 2026, without increasing the quota for those who earn the least and with very limited progressive increases for the rest of the income brackets.
Disappointment and concern in progressive groups
This Monday, the only one who received Saiz's new proposal with better words was Vice President Yolanda Díaz, who attacked the first approach of Social Security for considering it “regressive” and “penalizing” the self-employed who earn less. Díaz considered it “good news” that Social Security is changing this proposal, although he also acknowledged that he did not know the details of this new approach.
The progressive voices that sit at the social dialogue table with Social Security have reacted with “disappointment” and “perplexity” to the Ministry's reversal, according to several sources consulted. UATAE, a group of self-employed workers linked to CCOO, has described it as “incomprehensible and deeply unfair” that Social Security maintains its intention to freeze contributions for the lower sections. They defend “reducing the quota for the lowest-income group, maintaining it in the middle brackets and increasing it in the highest-income brackets,” stated María José Landaburu, general secretary of UATAE.
From UPTA, the group of self-employed workers linked to UGT, they have also regretted that “an important opportunity has been lost to improve the future pensions of self-employed workers,” said its president, Eduardo Abad, who has called the delay in negotiating quotas for the coming years a “kick forward.”
In the majority unions, CCOO and UGT, they have welcomed the freezing of the lowest dues, but they have also been very critical of the rest of the proposed dues. “Today a step back has been taken in the 2022 RETA agreement,” said the executive secretary of UGT, Cristina Estévez. “The higher sections that should contribute because they are very far from their real income. With an increase that barely covers the CPI, we are misappropriating the 2022 agreement,” he added.
Carlos Bravo, Secretary of Public Policies and Social Protection of CCOO, has expressed himself in similar terms, stating that an increase of between 1 and 2.5% means “that we are not moving towards convergence in the contribution based on real income.” Bravo has indicated that for the highest incomes, now with a large underpricing compared to what they earn, the increase should be “18-20% annually.”
In the political sphere, Sumar has been cautious until seeing the details of the new proposal, but Podemos has already stated that it will not support it and has demanded that the lowest fees be reduced and that those of those with higher incomes be increased further.
The employers celebrate stopping “the sablazo”, but do not support
On the opposite side, the ATA self-employed association, within the CEOE employers' association, has celebrated as its own triumph having stopped the “sablazo” to the self-employed, in the words of its president Lorenzo Amor, against whom it was charging in the last week. ATA had requested that the fees, even those of those who earn more than 6,000 euros per month, rise at most in line with the CPI, an indicator that has even remained above the Ministry's approach.
Despite everything, and the palpable joy for the new quotas, ATA and the employers have not even supported the Ministry's proposal this Monday. Lorenzo Amor has stated that it is “insufficient” because the Government has not complied with “the equalization of social protection” for the self-employed and employees, since the announced improvement in social benefits does not include unemployment benefits for those over 52 years of age. Amor considers that “some of his demands from the current system have not been corrected either,” such as that multi-activity self-employed workers should not contribute above the maximum base.
From the Congress of Deputies, conservative and ultra groups such as Junts and Vox have also reiterated this Monday their rejection of Saiz's new approach. Miriam Nogueras (Junts) has stated that this new proposal “is not enough” for her parliamentary group, whose votes are crucial to approve the proposal as it passes through Congress.