The beginning of 2017 saw minimum wage rises in Latvia. The government announced an increase of €10 per month, from €370 to €380.
Central Statistical Bureau figures revealed that in April 2016, 177,800 working people were receiving a monthly salary of €370 or less: 144,500 of them in the private sector, 30,600 in the public sector.
Meeting the Latvian Prime Minister, the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia (LBAS) called for changes in the tax system to boost the economy, including the same income tax rate on both labour and capital and zero tax on reinvested profit. LBAS President Egils Baldzens called for long-term policy planning on taxes and wages to foster Latvia’s economic growth, and he drew attention to the ETUC’s pay rise campaign.