The Construction Workers Union (Uocra) agreed to a salary increase of 34% for the last quarter in a negotiation meeting that is expected to be made official in the next few hours by the Ministry of Labor.
With regard to the organization of the Constructionthis agreement will be in effect until December 31 and will include constant monitoring of how the sustained increase in prices affects wages, as determined pointed out by the participants at the negotiation table.
In disaggregated and cumulative terms, This increase implies 12% on basic salaries effective as of September 30, which will be reflected in this month’s salaries.
The progression will continue with an increase in 11% in November compared to October salaries and, finally, there will be another 11% increase applied to November salaries.
It is important to highlight that this agreement is independent of the non-remunerative allocation established by Decree No. 438/23 of the National Governmentwhich is a fixed sum intended to strengthen the income of workers registered in the sector.
Commercial employees: what they ask for and how the negotiation is progressing
Regarding commercial employees, Salary negotiation has been affected by the economic situation and the electoral process, which has generated uncertainty. However, it is expected that after the general elections of lNext week we will have a clearer picture of the context.
Although no concrete wage increases have been proposed so far, September inflation, which reached 12.7%, is already influencing the discussions.
The concern of the Argentine Federation of Commerce and Services Employees (FAECyS) does not lie in the deadlines, since the current agreement is in force until this month and the increases for October, November and December must be discussed.
The fear is that the rise in prices over the past two months, coupled with the current situation in October, will significantly reduce the purchasing power that could be achieved through a successful wage negotiation.
A bonus of 60,000 pesos, proposed by the Government, but rejected by the sector chambers, served as a palliative measure for the income of commercial employees. The union awaits the results of the national elections and the respective impact on the markets, Therefore, it is expected that discussions with representatives of the chambers of commerce will resume after October 25.
The parity for commercial employees extends from April of this year until March 2024. So far, Increases of 19.5% (April-May-June) and 27% (July-August-September) have been achieved in six months.
The increases for the first quarter were distributed as follows: 6.5% in April, 6.5% in May and 6.5% in June. In addition, a fixed sum was awarded non-remunerative amount of $25,000 in two installments, one in April and another in May, each one only once. In the second quarter, a 7.5% increase was agreed in July, August and September.
Source: Ambito
