After weeks of tense meetings, rejected proposals and last-minute readjustments, the Ministry of Civil Service and the unions have reached a historic agreement that will allow more than three and a half million public employees to recover part of the ground lost in recent years. The cumulative rise will be 11.4%, an increase that will be deployed progressively between 2025 and 2028 and will put an end to the wage freeze in force since 2024.
The negotiation was not easy. The last session last Monday was marked by union division: CSIF initially rejected the 11% proposal, while CCOO decided to continue the talks, considering it insufficient in the face of the erosion caused by inflation. UGT was the only union that gave the green light from the very beginning, after a small adjustment that increased the offer from 10% to 11% in just 24 hours, which allowed the negotiation to be unblocked.
An agreement that ends years of wage freezes
Finally, union pressure led the Executive to raise the increase to 11.4%. This compensates part of the lost purchasing power and establishes a gradual implementation scheme. According to the agreement, starting in December 2025, a payment will be made with the year’s arrears, equivalent to 2.5%. In January 2026, salaries will go up by 4%, to which will be added a variable 0.5% linked to the CPI, to be paid in the first quarter of 2027 with retroactive effect.
In January 2027, the increase will be 4.5%, while in January 2028 the final increase of 2% will be applied. With this salary architecture, civil servants will recover 2.9% of the purchasing power lost in recent years.
What are the salaries per group? Increases of more than 3,800 euros
Employees in subgroup A1 will benefit the most: their salary will rise from 33,952 to 37,818 euros in 2028, thanks to an increase of more than 3,860 euros per year. Group B will also experience a significant rise, close to €3,447, bringing their salary to around €33,590.
Groups C1 and C2 will register more moderate but equally relevant improvements: C1 will reach approximately 31,393 euros and C2 will be around 29,214 euros per year.
In this way, the Administration consolidates a revised salary structure adapted to the current cost of living, revaluing profiles that for years have suffered strong inflationary pressure.
CSIF justifies its adhesion: “responsibility and commitment”.
After initially opposing the proposal, CSIF confirmed that it subscribes to the agreement “asa matter of responsibility and commitment to public employees“. The union maintains that “we have achieved the best possible agreement taking into account the difficulties the country is going through, the political instability, the budgetary blockade and the economic limitations of the European Union and NATO“.
The signing represents an unusual closing of union ranks, considering the accumulated wear and tear of years of frozen salaries and strained workforces.
Beyond pay: stabilization, mobility and equality
The agreement is not limited to the salary issue. The signing includes structural measures to modernize the Administration and improve the working conditions of public employees. These include:
- The reinforcement of the workforce to reduce temporary employment.
- The streamlining of selection processes.
- Improving internal promotion and mobility.
- The review of allowances, leaves and retirement conditions.
- New equality and conciliation measures.
- A boost to occupational health and quality of the Mutualismo Administrativo.
The final signing of the agreement is scheduled for today, and will mark a turning point in the Administration’s compensation policy after years of containment, high inflation and union tensions.
A new salary scenario until 2028
With an increase of 11.4% consolidated over four years, civil servants will have salaries ranging from 28,200 to 37,800 euros, depending on their professional group. The measure seeks to stabilize a group that supports the daily functioning of the State, from teachers and health workers to administrative staff, engineers and inspectors.
With this agreement, the government and unions close a period marked by inflation and the lack of salary updates, and open a calendar of improvements that will have a direct impact on millions of Spanish households.
