Yesterday, 18 April 2017, after nearly three hours of discussion between the Labor Minister and representatives of the employers and the unions, no agreement was reached over the proposed 20% minimum wage increase.
Minister José Ramón Fadul maintains that wages in the country are too low and that there needs to be a wage increase. However, the employers wanted to rollout the increase wages in two phases – a 10% hike effective immediately and another 10% raise in six months. Union representatives did not agree to this and hence the deadlock continues.
Labor Minister Fadul said that a next meeting at the Ministry would be held with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Small Business to discuss the reclassification of businesses. A 2008 law orders this, but its implementation has been consistently delayed.
Fadul has a 15-day period, as of Friday 21 April, to make a decision regarding the minimum wage increase.
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Listin Diario
7 Dias
19 April 2017
