Argentina’s commerce workers’ union and employer chambers agreed a 5.7% pay raise for October to December, plus a one-off bonus of 50,000 pesos (US$32), the union said.
The deal came out of the paritaria, the wage talks between unions and employers, and was signed Tuesday by the Federation of Commerce and Services Employees, led by Armando Cavalieri, and the Argentine Chamber of Commerce, the small and medium business confederation CAME and the UDECA business association. The agreement applies from Oct. 1 and covers the workers under the sector’s collective agreement.
The raise comes in three steps of 1.9%, in October, November and December. Each is calculated on September pay including the fixed non-wage sums already in place, so the three add up to 5.7%. INDEC, the national statistics agency, reported monthly inflation of 1.9% for September, so each step matches the latest monthly price rise.
The bonus is for all job categories and is paid in two instalments of 25,000 pesos, with October and November salaries. It is a one-off sum that is not counted as regular salary. A fixed payment of 120,000 pesos from the previous deal also continues to be paid.
Cavalieri said that in a difficult economic scenario it is essential to keep negotiating channels open, and that the talks tried to weigh the situation of small and medium businesses against workers’ purchasing power. The two sides agreed to meet again in January 2027 to review the economic situation.