Labor leaders demand fair wages from the government. Bayano digital reproduces in this section a communiqué issued by the Independent Organizations in Resistance (OIR), regarding socioeconomic inequality and the poor and unjust level of wages in effect in Panama:
The illegitimate spokespeople of CONATO, allied with the business sector and the national government, rejected the Courtesy of Hall before the National Minimum Wage Commission, requested by the Coordinator of Independent Organizations in Resistance (OIR), curtailing a right that worker and employer organizations have according to article 12 of the regulation, which has been a historical practice of the Commission.
In the face of this undemocratic attitude, the militant and representative organizations of the OIR present to the Ministry of Labor our proposal with its respective technical support and summarize its content to the general public in the following elements:
- Therefore, it is imperative to have a redistributive policy that places employment and wages as a priority of the economic strategy.
- Build the official indicator of the real cost of living, which measures household spending.
- They artificially alter prices and generate inflation.
- Correction of distortions in the structure of the Minimum Wage, reducing the number of divisions and simplifying salary categories.
- Monthly minimum wage for domestic service at B/.365.00 in region 2 and B/.400.00 for region 1.
- Redefine the size of companies based on their income, profits and type of activity and not according to the number of workers.
- Adjustment of 24.05% to the minimum wage of the large company and 15.05% in the small company, based on the cost of households and the 21% increase in productivity.
- Elimination of region 2 of wages, since the evidence and official indicators do not show differences in the cost of living between both regions.
- Application of the salary adjustment to public employees whose last adjustment was in 2015.
- Distribute to grow, with development and social justice.
Resist to grow, organize to overcome!
¡Resistir para crecer, organizarnos para vencer!
Dialys Campa Coordinator OIR
