Sixty Iranian labour organizations have urged the Supreme Council of Labour to set the minimum wage for the new Iranian calendar year, which will begin on the first day of spring, according to the true rate of inflation. They are calling for a 50-percent increase in the minimum wage.
ILNA reports that in a petition signed by 60 labour organizations in the construction sector, the labour representatives in the Supreme Council of Labour have been urged to make a powerful final stand as the council looks to set the minimum wage for the coming year.
The council’s latest meeting with the ministers of industry, labour and economy ended without any agreement regarding the minimum wage. The council will meet again on Wednesday March 11.
According to labour legislation, the council is charged with adjusting the minimum wage annually according to inflation rates announced by the Central Bank and the officially determined average expense of a family.
Last year, the minimum wage was raised by 25 percent while official inflation rates were announced at 35 percent. Now the government is insisting that inflation rates are at 15 percent and that should be the standard for a minimum wage increase. Labour organizations say, however, that last year’s wage increase was unfair, which makes the government’s current position even more inadequate.
A comparison of average family expenses and salaries at minimum wage indicates that there needs to be at least a 57-percent increase in the minimum wage to cover the minimum cost of living for a family.
