Wages have increased an average of 30 percent between January and October, meaning workers have improved their real salaries when compared to the 21.4 percent inflation registered during that period, the INDEC statistics bureau said yesterday in a report.
Private-sector workers saw wages increase 29 percent in the first 10 months of the year, while state workers experienced a 31.6 percent increase in monthly revenue. Meanwhile, unregistered workers experienced wage increases of 31.3 percent.
Compared to September, wages saw an increase of 1.6 percent, according to the report. The gains were felt more strongly among unregistered workers, who saw wages rise 2.03 percent, followed by a lower 1.8 percent for private-sector employees and 0.64 for state workers.
The figures were released at a time when several pro-government and opposition unions are asking for an end-of-year bonus and to be exempted from paying income tax. Most unions have agreed to wage increases of between 30 and 32 percent this year.
In a recent speech, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said Argentine workers “have the highest wages of the region” and asked unions to “take care of what they have accomplished,” making a reference to the union demands.
Prices rose 1.2 percent in October, dropping 0.2 percentage points compared to September, according to the government’s consumer price index.
buenosairesherald.com