The Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho, during a meeting with leaders of trade union centrals, at the Planalto Palace.| Photo: Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil.

The Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho, said this Wednesday (18) that the value of the minimum wage, currently at R$ 1,302, should not be readjusted until at least May this year. The minister’s statement was made after a meeting with president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and representatives of the trade union centrals.

At the event, the representative announced the creation of a working group to discuss the appreciation of the minimum wage floor. The group will work for 45 days, extendable for another 45 days.

“Right now, the minimum wage is worth R$1,302. let’s build,” said Marinho.

The current minimum wage of R$1,302 was set by former President Jair Bolsonaro in December of last year. The transition team proposed a minimum value of R$ 1,320. During this Wednesday’s meeting, the union centrals asked that the value of the minimum wage be raised to R$ 1,343. The president argued that raising the minimum wage above inflation is the best way to distribute income.