By Eliane Portillo

The Costa Rican public sector unions will demonstrate again against the minimum wage, set without negotiating with them, in protest at the refusal of Minister of Labour and Social Security, Sandra Piszk, to talk with the unions.

During the protest against the government agency on Wednesday, union leaders called on their delegates to support a general strike in the coming days, because they failed to repeal the decree by which the authorities limited the pay raise to five thousand colones (10 dollars).

Piszk listened carefully to each of the formulations raised by the union leaders and answered that salaries are a closed issue before the repeated questions on wages, according to the news.

The union members demanded that government rescind or freeze the decree, which sets the salary increase for the first half of the year and that it analyze the proposal for the creation of the National Wages Commission and the establishment of the rectory of employment and wages, a role that now falls within the budget authority.

According to public sector unions, the second project affects the powers and range of action of the National Wages Commission, and thus it requires an evaluation before being approved. Against the position of Piszk, union leaders agreed to meet on Thursday to establish the plan of action.