The secretary general of the Confederation of Organizations of State Officials (COFE), José Lorenzo López, assured that despite the “consensus” with the Executive Power for the proposal of salary recovery of 6% for public workersthey still want to discuss the “minor but significant percentage of workers who will not complete” that percentage, in an interview with Radio Sarandí.
According to Lopez, 20% of public workers would not reach 6% of gradual salary recovery proposed by the Executive Branch, with deadlines until December 2025they informed The Observer sources participating in the negotiations between the government and the union. The percentage not covered in the principle of agreement It is made up of the highest salaries in the public administration.
The general secretary of COFE, also vice president of the PIT-CNT, emphasized that “Although 6% is not the same for $30,000 as it is for a salary of more than $100,000”this 20% “They are workers and they deserve to earn that salary.”
Although due to this situation a “global” recovery was not achievedLópez valued that the exchanges with the Executive Power “They got pretty close.”
The trade unionist explained that the difference lay in how both parties measured the loss of purchasing power in 2021 and 2022: while COFE argued that the loss is of 6% for the difference between wages and Consumer Price Index (CPI), the Executive Power assured that the loss is of 2.9%from the calculation of Average Salary Index (IMS)a variable introduced in article 4 of the Budget Law.
This Wednesday at 12 noon the guild meets in an assembly to define whether to approve the administration’s proposal. The government’s intention, once the proposal is approved by COFE, is convene the Superior Council of the Public Sector to sign the agreement.
López pointed out that if he agrees with the government “there is peace for wages”, but clarified that the parties have not yet approached with the licenses for public workersand that COFE stands against the restructuring of the public administration proposed by the government.
