[Economics] The dialogues to set the basic salary for 2022 began in the Labor Council

[#Wittels-]

Workers, workers and government representatives had the first analysis meeting. In 2021 there was no salary increase.

 

The first session of the National Council of Work and Salaries (CNTS) to define the unified basic salary (SBU) that will govern in November 2022 took place on 9 December. In this meeting the proposals of employers and workers were not discussed, but the economic and labor indicators of the country were known and analyzed, which will serve as support for the debate.

The CNTS is made up of workers' union leaders, as well as delegates from business unions, and is chaired by the Minister of Labor, Patricio Donoso. Also participating in the first meeting were Eduardo Carrillo, representative of the Central Bank of Ecuador (BCE); Roberto Castillo, director of the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC); and Daniel Falconí, undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).

 

Carrillo presented the macroeconomic assumptions, according to which it is estimated that in 2021 the growth of the Ecuadorian economy will be 3.02%, while for 2022 it is projected 2.85%. Although the indicators are positive, the representative of the ECB clarified that the prepandemic levels have not yet been reached.

The INEC director mentioned that there is a downward trend in terms of unemployment, which last September stood at 4.9% nationwide. While adequate employment had an increase of 275,000 new jobs, between May and September of this year.

 

Regarding the consumer price indexes (inflation), Castillo explained that the monthly inflation rate in September was 0.02%, and in October it was 0.21%; while the annual inflation rate in October was 1.47% and it is estimated that it will not exceed 1.8% at the end of the year.

In that sense, Falconí added that by 2022 the average annual inflation is projected to be 1.28%.

The Work Council will meet again next week. At that time the official positions of workers and employers will be known.

 

In October, the representatives of the unions that make up the Council told EL UNIVERSO that they will request an increase, since there was no increase for 2021, leaving the remuneration at $ 400. Other reasons for the proposal are the loss of purchasing power of the workers , as a result of the crisis due to the pandemic, and the campaign offer of President Guillermo Lasso to raise the SBU to $ 500 during his four years in office.

For their part, the businessmen who are in the CNTS mentioned to this newspaper that the conditions do not exist to justify an increase, since the economic recovery is still slow and there are external factors - such as the international crisis of containers - that have made the prices more expensive. imports for production and consumption.

According to the Labor Code, if employers and workers do not reach an agreement to establish the amount of the basic salary, the definition will remain in the hands of the Ministry of Labor, for which it must be based on the projection of annual inflation for next year .

Although the commitment of the President of the Republic remains, so far there is no official statement on how much the salary should grow in 2022. (I)

 

Link: https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/economia/los-dialogos-para-fijar-el-salario-basico-de-2022-empezaron-en-el-consejo-de-trabajo-empresario-trabajadores-nota/