FILE - In this July 1, 1997 file photo, Rogelio Pacheco, a streetsweeper in Mexico City, removes a dusting of ash from a city sidewalk. The Mexican government gave workers a raise of 8 pesos (45 cents) this Nov. 2017, increasing the minimum wage from 80 pesos per day to 88.4 pesos.(Ap Photo/Joe Cavaretta, File)
November 22, 2017 - 12:51 PM
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's National Human Rights Commission says the country's 45-cent increase to the country's daily minimum wage is worrisome, because it still isn't enough to meet the basic needs of a single worker or a family.
The government gave workers a raise of 8 pesos (45 cents) this week, increasing the minimum wage from 80 pesos per day to 88.4 pesos.
Forty-five cents buys roughly a single ride on a Mexico City bus.
The commission says the minimum wage is still about $15 per month short of what is needed to meet a worker's basic food, shelter and clothing costs.
The government has said that the increase represents a purchasing power increase for employees. But with inflation running around 7 per cent, the real-term benefit is minor.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017