Representatives of the Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (Cacif) presented to the authorities of the Ministry of Labor (Mintrab) the proposal called “Guidelines for a National Employment, Productivity and Salaries Policy”, which, among other aspects, proposes a social dialogue between the parties involved.
The presentation was made within the framework ofl XII Labor Congress 2026, which dealt with sustainable minimum wage in Guatemala: productivity, employment and competitiveness, in which delegates from the organized private sector, government authorities, unions, representatives of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and academics, among others, participated.
José González-Campo, director of the Cacif labor commission, highlighted during the presentation that One of the objectives is to sustainably increase employment generation in Guatemala through the alignment of salary policy and productivity, strengthening business competitiveness and improving the employability of the workforce.
Private sector asks for salary certainty
Within the framework of the next discussion on the minimum wage, whose process has already begun and must set a result for 2027, the vice president of Cacif, Francisco Ralda, highlighted during the activity that the suggested policy It must maintain consistency between salaries, productivity and sustainable development.
From the presentation of these guidelines, A new stage of conversations must be structured between the labor and business sectors and government authorities, to define the best formulas for setting the minimum wage and for it to be sustainable.
Among the actions that can be implemented in the short term, The Cacif manager pointed out that salaries must have predictability, as well as a vision for the future.
He cited that during the labor congress concern was expressed about receiving salary increases without justification, but it is even more worrying not to have visibility about what may happen in the coming years, since that does not provide certainty nor does it represent a stimulus for investment.
Part of the proposal is the possibility of establish multi-year salaries; that is, setting salaries for a longer term than one year, through formulas that include inflation, economic growth and productivity.
Come opening to discuss minimum wage
Regarding the future discussion of the salary schedule and inflationary pressure for this year, Ralda highlighted that there is a good willingness and openness of the Executive to achieve a discussion on what is the best formula for establishing the minimum wage for 2027.
“It is a good message for the private sector and it must act responsibly in collaboration to determine the salary,” he reiterated.
Bet on salary dialogue
When consulting the Minister of Labor, Miriam Roquel, about the proposal presented by the organized private sector and how it outlines the discussion of the 2027 minimum wage, she emphasized that the joint commissions for the agricultural, non-agricultural and maquila and export sectors are already installed, as is the National Salary Commission (CNS).
“It is a good message for the private sector and it must act responsibly in collaboration to determine the salary”
Francisco Ralda, vice president of Cacif
“What we hope is that within these instances the necessary dialogues will be generated based on evidence and that sustainable proposals will also be made, which respond both to the needs of the workers and to the possibilities that employers have to continue moving forward,” said the minister.
Also There has been talk about the formalization of the economy, since there is informality in commerce and agriculture, Indian.
Like the vice president of Cacif, the minister highlighted that spaces such as those generated in the labor congress “encourage dialogue and make it necessary for all sectors to assume responsibility, because it is not only the Government’s, but also the employer sector and the worker sector.”
Authorities call for salary balance
By providing an overview of the discussions, the Mintrab authorities hope to achieve a consensus between the parties to set the salary, although they acknowledged that the positions have been “very extreme.”
“What the Government does is generate the instruments using all the components, and the Government is the one that makes the decision. I hope that, with this political maturity, these congresses and, obviously, the guidelines of a national employment, productivity and salary policy that are being given to me, it can be transferred to the president and the commission, as a specialized body that serves as advice to the Ministry of Labor,” he emphasized.
In any case, an “eminently balanced” point would be sought, when consulted about an eventual adjustment for 2027.