The Union of Professionals and Self-Employed Workers (UPTA) denounces the paralysis of the committed reforms for the RETA and demands that the Ministry reactivate the social dialogue table, which has been blocked for months.
The Union of Professionals and Self-Employed Workers (UPTA) has criticized the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration for what it considers a systematic failure to comply with the agreements reached to reform the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers (RETA). The organization denounces that, having passed the halfway point of 2026, the social dialogue table remains blocked and no progress has been made on the commitments made.
Among the pending issues, UPTA points out the reform of the cessation of activity and the implementation schedule of the new contribution system based on real income. For the organization, delaying these measures means leaving unanswered improvements that directly affect the social protection of more than three million self-employed workers.
Fee increases without compensation
While the reforms remain frozen, the only measures applied have resulted in a significant increase in contributions for more than 1.3 million corporate and collaborating self-employed workers. This group has seen their fee rise by over 30%, now standing at 448 euros per month.
This contributory effort has skyrocketed RETA revenue. According to data handled by UPTA, revenues now exceed 613 million euros per month, which represents an additional 184 million each month. For the organization, these figures demonstrate that sufficient resources exist to continue developing the committed reform.
UPTA insists that the goal of the reform was never to increase revenue, but to build a fairer contribution system, strengthen access to cessation of activity, and ensure benefits and pensions in line with real income. In this context, freezing contributions in 2027 would mean breaking the agreed schedule and particularly harming more than two million self-employed individuals, who continue to contribute below their actual earnings.
“The data dismantles any argument”
The president of UPTA, Eduardo Abad, has been blunt: “The data dismantles any argument for continuing to delay the reform. Self-employed workers have already made a significant economic effort, and that effort is translating into a very relevant increase in revenue. Now it is up to the Ministry to fulfill the agreements reached and convert those resources into more rights.”
“We do not understand why, after months without progress, the dialogue table remains paralyzed. Self-employed workers cannot continue waiting while the committed reforms remain locked away in a drawer. The Ministry must immediately resume social dialogue and complete a reform that was left halfway,” lamented Abad.
The president of UPTA also warned that “freezing contributions in 2027 would be an irresponsibility that would condemn more than two million self-employed workers to lower future pensions. The resources exist, and the agreements do too. What is lacking is political will.”
Demands and next steps
UPTA demands the Ministry to immediately convene the negotiation table to complete the pending reforms, especially the modification of the cessation of activity and the definitive development of the contribution system based on real income. The organization reminds that social dialogue only makes sense when agreements are fulfilled and warns that it will not accept further delays.
For the affected self-employed workers, the situation is clear: as long as the Government does not reactivate the reform, they will continue to contribute more without seeing improvements in their social protection. The next key date will be the negotiation of the General State Budget for 2027, where it will be decided whether to maintain the freeze on contributions or resume the schedule of progressive increases.
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