Félix Chero Minister of Justice on raising the minimum wage in Peru: “This measure responds to a technical criterion and a need of the working mass”

Justice and Human Rights Minister Felix Chero commented at a press conference led by Prime Minister Aníbal Torres that the increase in the minimum wage is vital and responds to a technical criterion and a need of the working mass.

“We must bear in mind that this measure responds to a technical criterion and a need of the working mass, but it is also a constitutional mandate,” he explained at a press conference.

“Let us remember that the RMV has not been increased for 4 years in such a way that we consider it reasonable and fair in the country that this remuneration, which increases to S/1,025, is what corresponds in strict legality and in strict analysis of reasonableness,” added the head of justice.

Chero indicated that the increase in the minimum wage is also due to the recent increase in basic commodities, so the measure will represent a palliative to the new cost of the family basket.

On the removal of prisons, he commented that his sector will enforce the ruling of the Constitutional Court (TC).

“I had already announced the INPE (National Penitentiary Institute) and the presidential thank you commission is working on the process to grant 100 pardons at Easter,” he said.

“We are also evaluating the relevance of amending the Penal Enforcement Code in order to incorporate the humanitarian prison benefit, which is an ordinary form different from presidential graces but which will allow us to dispose of penalties as part of the re-socialization process,” he said.

WHEN WOULD YOU INITIATE THIS NEW PAYMENT?

According to the Supreme Decree, this measure is effective from May 1 and is estimated to benefit more than 1.4 million private sector workers who currently have a salary lower than the new established amount and who represent 30% of their labor mass, according to information from the electronic spreadsheet.

This time, the increase was proposed and supported by the Minister of Labour, Betssy Chavez, last Thursday in an extraordinary session of the Congress and commented on later by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Oscar Graham.

“It must be considered that when these types of measures are taken there is one sector that benefits and another that is affected. That is part of the balance that has to be done,” said the head of Economía in statements to local media.

It should be noted that the last time the minimum wage was raised was in March 2018, in the government of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. At that time the Minimum Living Wage was S/ 850.

MYPES AGAINST RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE

Mypes spokespersons rejected the government's new measure to increase the minimum wage in Peru, as they say that this agreement was not communicated or discussed with the unions in this sector.

Through a statement, they said they disagreed with the new mandate presided over by President Pedro Castillo.

“It threatens the recovery process of small and micro enterprises in the country and condemns them to informality. This measure does not consider the reality we have been going through as a sector and it seems that President Castillo is also ignoring it. Does he not know that the Peruvian Mype concentrates the largest number of workers in the country?” , they argue.

“We need labor standards to be technically supported and agreed upon in the National Labor Council, which, according to the Constitution, is the legitimate space for real dialogue because it involves multiple actors,” they add.

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