The Plenary of the Congress has ratified this Thursday the Royal Decree-law that obliges the Government to update, within a maximum period of six months, the amounts of the compensation for residence of state public personnel assigned to the Balearic Islands, with the aim of adjusting them to the current cost of living in the archipelago and favoring the coverage of vacancies in public services.
The initiative has moved forward with the support of all parliamentary groups, except for the vote against Vox and the abstention of Junts and the PP. This measure is included in Royal Decree-law 19/2026, of June 29, which also incorporates the regulation of early partial retirement of labor personnel in public administrations.
The text establishes that the Executive must review the amounts of this compensation within a maximum of six months, prior to collective negotiation with the representatives of the workers, and approve the necessary modification to adapt them to the current reality.
In the same way, it is expressly specified that the review may not imply in any case a reduction of the amounts that public employees currently receive for this concept.
The Government argues this decision based on the gap between the real cost of residing in the Balearic Islands and the current economic compensation, a situation that, according to the decree itself, makes it difficult to attract and retain personnel in the General State Administration and jeopardizes the adequate provision of essential public services in the archipelago.
The document emphasizes that insularity, the high price of housing and goods and services, as well as mobility complications, condition the capacity of administrations to cover and stabilize certain positions, especially in those areas with high turnover or that require specific qualifications.
An "urgent" measure for the Balearic Islands
During the parliamentary debate, the Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function, Óscar López, defended the update of the residence supplement as an "urgent" measure to prevent the General State Administration from continuing to lose capacity to fill positions in the Balearic Islands due to the high cost of living.
For its part, the PP has criticized the use of the Royal Decree-law by the Government to address issues of public function and has demanded a comprehensive and negotiated reform of the system, also focusing a good part of its reproaches on the actions of the Executive.