Pedro Sánchez nominates Yolanda Díaz to lead UN labour agency; election in November with $173,000 base salary

The nomination

The Spanish government announced on 23 July 2026 that it would put forward second vice-president and labour minister Yolanda Díaz to lead the International Labour Organization, the UN agency for labour standards. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the move as an "honour" in a social-media post.

For the first time, a woman and our country would be at the front of this fundamental institution for the defence of decent work and social justice.

He said Díaz had demonstrated commitment with policies and results. Díaz herself defined it as "an enormous pride and responsibility" and pointed to artificial intelligence, climate change and platform work as urgent challenges.

The election process and the post's salary

The ILO's governing body will hold private sessions with candidates on 9 November 2026, followed by a secret ballot on 16 November. Díaz faces the current director-general, Togolese Gilbert F. Houngbo, who has held the post since 2022. If elected, her five-year term would begin in October 2027.

The position carries a base annual net salary of $173,000 (about €150,000). Allowances for housing (up to 12,000 Swiss francs a month) and representation (40,000 CHF a year) can push the total net package beyond €350,000, according to La Razón.

Political reactions: praise and pushback

In parliament, Socialist spokesman Patxi López called Díaz a "magnificent" candidate who had proved she stands for workers' rights. The leftist Comuns party said she had turned Spain into an international labour-policy reference. The main opposition Popular Party, however, labelled the nomination "compensation for silence".

The sharpest criticism came from far-right Vox and the leftist Podemos, both former allies now estranged. Vox spokeswoman Pepa Rodríguez de Millán implied the nomination was a reward for tolerating government corruption.

Now you understand, seeing the perks of the ILO director-general's office, why she has swallowed all the corruption without saying a peep while they attacked the corruption of others.

Podemos leader Ione Belarra described the nomination as a "cushy post prize" handed out by the Socialists.

Nobody rewarded us with a cushy post in an international organisation, I think because we did what we said we were going to do.

Former Podemos chief Pablo Iglesias said the move was a reward for "services rendered" and predicted Díaz would become "the best-paid CCOO affiliate in history".

Union endorsement and the ILO's financial squeeze

The largest Spanish union, Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), backed the bid, urging governments, employer groups and unions to support a candidacy built around decent work, collective bargaining and a just transition. CCOO stressed that the ILO faces an acute funding gap, with the United States having defaulted on its contribution.

The disdain for multilateralism shown by Donald Trump and his government has materialised in the United States' departure from institutions such as the WHO and the non-payment of its ILO contribution, which amounts to more than 280 million euros, 22% of the agency's total budget.

The union added that the Trump administration had tried to impose its financial adviser as political director, further destabilising the organisation.

Stumbling blocks: language and labour record

La Razón pointed to several weaknesses in Díaz's candidacy. The minister does not speak English, a skill considered essential for the role, and a 2024 video showed her unable to answer a British journalist's question at a press conference. Furthermore, she has approved 61 labour-law changes in Spain since 2022 without tripartite dialogue, repeatedly sidelining employers, according to the newspaper. Spain itself appears on the ILO's "short list" of countries accused of flouting international labour standards, the only major OECD and European economy on the list alongside nations such as Colombia, Iraq and Russia.

LaSexta's economics correspondent Belén Carreño noted that Díaz's pro-worker stance may prove a double-edged sword: Spain has some cutting-edge laws the ILO is trying to copy, like the riders' law, but there is friction because Díaz is seen as too close to workers. The ILO director-general post requires backing from employers' organisations as well as unions, making her perceived imbalance a hurdle.