An official committee on salary negotiations will meet Friday to discuss the setting of a new wage increase for public-sector workers, which will apply for the second half of this year.
Labor Minister Olman Segura, Presidency Vice Minister Gustavo Alvarado, Finance Minister José Luis Araya and Civil Service General Director José Joaquín Arguedas will meet with unions leaders, including the president of the National Association of Public and Private Employees Albino Vargas, who said they will ask for a 6.2 percent rise.
In January, the government set a 1.84 percent raise for public employees, that prompted public demonstrations.
Unions also will ask for a greater increase for workers earning minimum wage such as police officers, park rangers, public schools guards and janitors, among others. Some of them earn less than the legal minimum wage, Vargas said.
The meeting will take place at the Labor Ministry in San José.
Last week, the National Wage Council approved a 2.4 percent increase for private-sector workers.
