Delay in Wage Hike Affects
500,000 Hondurans
TEGUCIGALPA - At least half a million
workers in Honduras are affected by
President Porfirio Lobo''s refusal to raise
the minimum wage, trade union leaders said
today.
José Luis Baquedano, secretary general of
the Confederation of Workers (CUT),
announced further protests this week if the
president fails to take a position.
By law, the president must establish a
specific minimum wage before April 30 even
though workes and employers have not reached
a consensus on that amount; however, Lobo
says the two sides agree on the amount of
the raise.
Although the trade unions eased their
position by lowering the increase they are
demanding from 30 to 15 percent, the private
sector proposed a raise of only 3.7 percent,
which was described as ridiculous by labor
organizations.
In this country the minimum wage is 5,500
lempiras ($291) for urban workers and 4,055
($214) for rural workers. The figures are
far below what is need to buy the basic
family basket, which at $324 is considered
the most expensive in the region, according
to a study by the Central America Consumer
Network.
The unions will file a complaint against the
Honduran state with the International Labour
Organization due to the president's
unwillingness to make a decision in this
regard.
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