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The Committee refers to the observations made by the Association of Labour Inspectors of the Gaúcha region (AGITRA) and the Association of Labour Inspectors of the Paraná region (AAFT/PR) concerning the alleged lack of meaningful consultations with the social partners in reviewing and adjusting the national minimum wage. These observations were communicated to the Government more than two years ago but no reply has so far been received. The Committee notes that recently there have been some positive developments, such as the establishment in April 2005 of the Quadripartite Commission on the review of the minimum wage bringing together representatives of the federal Government, state governments and the social partners. Moreover, the Committee understands that a new policy for the indexation of the national minimum wage to the inflation rate has been announced and that this policy would be included in a bill to be voted on by the National Congress. The Committee recalls that the minimum wage plays a significant role of social protection and notes in this respect that according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), 30.5 per cent of the workforce, or 26.5 million people, earn the minimum rate or less. It therefore hopes that the Government will take appropriate action to institutionalize the process of quadripartite consultations for the periodic adjustment of the national minimum wage. The Committee further asks the Government to keep it informed of all future developments in this regard and to transmit its observations in reply to the points raised by AGITRA and AAFT/PR.

The Committee is raising other points in a request addressed directly to the Government.