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COSTA RICA |
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Minimum Wage Increase "Not Enough"
The minimum salary increase of 5% that takes
effect on January 1 is being criticized,
many say it is not enough to face even the
basic increases in services like
electricity.
The government announced earlier this week
that minimum salaries for the private sector
would increase by 5%, on the average
earnings of ¢314.939 (us$540) monthly,
according to figures provided by the Cámara
de Industrias and using the contributions of
the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS)
as a reference.
The 5% represents an increase of ¢15.746
colones monthly on the average.
José Salas, advisor to the Cámara de
Industrias said the average electrical bill
is ¢16.400, so the increase doesn't even
cover the cost of paying the utility bill.
The same can be applied to costs like water
and cellular telephone, which combined have
an average cost of ¢18.000 colones monthly
(¢7.000 for water and ¢11.000 for cellular
phone service).
On the other side of the argument are the
employers, who say for every percentage
point increase it means a drastic increase
in payroll.
A bulletin by the Unión Costarricense de
Cámaras y Asociaciones de la Empresa Privada
(Uccaep) says that if the ¢15.746 are wisely
spent they can buy a one litre carton of
orange juice, a litre of milk, detergent,
cooking oil, a kilogram of eggs, half a kilo
of cheese, four tuna cans, half a kilo of
meat, two bags of rice, a head of lettuce, a
kilo of tomato, a kilo of green beans, a box
of cookies and a kilo of potatoes.
However, a number of people interviewed by
the local print media responded with a
common tone, "it is not enough". |
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