Additional positions


First Deputy Mayor of Ferrol
In office 17 June 2007 – 18 October 2008
National Coordinator of Esquerda Unida
In office 7 November 2005 – 3 June 2017
Preceded by	Pilar Díaz
Succeeded by	Eva Solla
Member of the Ferrol City Council
In office 14 June 2003 – 13 November 2012

Personal details

Born

Yolanda Díaz Pérez

6 May 1971 (age 54)
Fene, Spain

Political party

- Communist Party of Spain (1986–present)
- Movimiento Sumar (2023–present)

Other political
affiliations

United Left (1986–2019)

Spouse

Juan Andrés Meizoso

(m. 2004)

Children

Alma mater

University of Santiago de Compostela

Occupation

Labour lawyer
politician

Signature

Yolanda Díaz Pérez (born 6 May 1971) is a Spanish politician and a lawyer who specializes in labour law. She is currently the Second Deputy Prime Minister since 2021. She also serves as the Minister of Labour and Social Economy for the Spanish government since 2020.

Yolanda Díaz has been a member of the Communist Party of Spain for a long time. In 2023, she started a political group called Sumar. She was the leader of this group until 2024. She has been a member of the Congress of Deputies (Spain's main parliament) since 2016. Before that, she was a local council member in Ferrol and a member of the Parliament of Galicia.

Early Life and Education
Political Journey
Political Views
Images for kids
See Also

Early Life and Education

Yolanda Díaz was born in Fene, Spain, on May 6, 1971. Her family was well-known for being trade unionists (people who work to protect workers' rights) in Galicia. They were also very active against the Francoist government, which was a dictatorship in Spain.

Díaz studied Law at the University of Santiago de Compostela. After finishing her studies, she worked as a paralegal, helping lawyers with their cases. Later, she became a lawyer herself and opened her own law firm. Her firm focused on labour law, which deals with the rights and duties of workers and employers.

Political Journey

Starting in Regional Politics

Yolanda Díaz joined the Communist Party of Spain when she was young. Her first official political role was in 2003, when she became a member of the city council in Ferrol.

In 2005, she was chosen to lead Esquerda Unida (EU). This group is part of a larger political alliance called United Left in Galicia.

In 2012, Díaz ran for election as part of the Galician Left Alternative (AGE) group. She won a seat in the Parliament of Galicia, representing the area of A Coruña.

Moving to National Politics

Díaz became a member of the Congress of Deputies (Spain's national parliament) in 2015. She ran as a candidate for the En Marea group. She kept her seat in later elections in 2016 and 2019.

In 2017, she stepped down as the leader of Esquerda Unida. She was replaced by Eva Solla.

In 2019, there were talks to form a government between the PSOE and Unidas Podemos parties. Díaz supported this idea, even though some others in her party, United Left, did not. She believed they should agree on a plan for the government. She later left United Left in October 2019 but remained a member of the Communist Party of Spain.

Minister of Labour and Social Economy

Yolanda Díaz became the Minister of Labour and Social Economy on January 13, 2020. She said her main goal was to fight against "precarious work," which means jobs that are unstable or have bad conditions. She promised to change a labour law from 2012.

As Minister, Díaz helped increase the minimum wage to 950 euros per month. She also made it illegal to fire employees just because they were on medical leave. She sent inspectors to farms to check on workers' conditions.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Díaz worked with unions and employers to create a system called ERTE. This system allowed companies to temporarily stop paying workers while keeping their jobs. She also helped create the 'Working From Home Law'.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh meets with Yolanda Díaz in 2021.

In March 2021, the then-Third Deputy Prime Minister, Pablo Iglesias, announced he was leaving his role. He chose Yolanda Díaz to take his place. The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, also confirmed this decision. In July 2021, Díaz was promoted to Second Deputy Prime Minister.

In November 2021, Díaz shared her plan to create a new political group called "Sumar" (which means "Unite"). She wanted this group to run in the next Spanish general elections. She also announced that old labour laws would be changed by the end of 2022. These changes were approved in February 2022.

In November 2021, Díaz and other female leaders started a new initiative called Otras Políticas. This name means both "other female politicians" and "other policies."

On May 18, 2022, Díaz officially announced the new political group Sumar. This group was created to take part in the 2023 Spanish general election. It was also registered as a political party to work with other left-wing parties.

Díaz with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in July 2023.

In November 2023, she continued in her government roles for the new government led by Pedro Sánchez.

Stepping Down as Sumar's Leader

The Sumar political group took part in regional elections in early 2024. They did not get good results in these elections. Yolanda Díaz still decided to run in the European elections on June 9.

In these European elections, Sumar won only 3 out of 61 seats. Many members of the group, especially from Izquierda Unida, were unhappy with these results. As a result, on June 10, 2024, Yolanda Díaz announced she was leaving her leadership roles in Sumar. However, she remains the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour.

Political Views

Yolanda Díaz is still a member of the Communist Party of Spain. However, she now focuses on appealing to all left-wing voters. In the past, she has spoken positively about the governments of Fidel Castro in Cuba and Hugo Chávez in Venezuela.

In 2021, Díaz wrote about The Communist Manifesto. She said that the book still helps us understand how capitalism works. She also said it defends democracy and freedom.

Díaz at the 2024 Madrid Pride Parade.

During her campaign for the 2023 elections, she said she wanted to move away from politics dominated by just two main parties. Díaz describes herself as an atheist (someone who does not believe in God). However, she said meeting Pope Francis was "the most important encounter" of her life. She believes they have a lot in common because the Pope often criticizes uncontrolled capitalism.

In 2023, Díaz defended the government's social achievements. She said that despite challenges, they had "deconstructed the myths of capitalism." She gave examples like measures to prevent unemployment, reduce the difference in pay between men and women, and lower temporary employment.

Díaz is against holding an independence referendum in Catalonia. She believes that the only way to solve the issue is through discussion and peaceful agreement. She insists that Catalonia will stay part of Spain.

She wants to reduce the working week from 40 hours to 37.5 hours. She believes workers should still get the same pay. She also suggested a big discussion about "rationalizing working hours." This is because Spanish workers often finish their workday later than workers in other European countries. Some right-wing parties were strongly against this plan.

In October 2023, Díaz asked the international community to pressure Israel to stop what she called a massacre in Gaza. In May 2024, after Spain decided to recognize Palestine as an independent state, Díaz said: "We can't stop here, Palestine will be free from the river to the sea."

Images for kids

Yolanda Díaz's signature.

Yolanda Díaz facts for kids

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