Translated by Tamara Barakat

Shaher Saad, Secretary General of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, said that the minimum wage increased from 1450 to 1495 shekels due to the increase in the Cost of Living Index.

He told the Palestine Economy Portal that this increase was approved during the meeting of the Wage Committee, in the presence of the Minister of Labor, Mamoun Abu Shahla. Saad mentioned that the minimum wage is connected to the Cost of Living Index.

The overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Palestine increased by 1.43% during 2015 in comparison with 2014.

The minimum wage was approved during the tenure of the former Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, in June 2012.

Saad confirmed that the increase in the minimum wage will reflect positively on the Social Security Law, for the maximum wage will also increase from 11,600 shekels to around 12,000 shekels.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 33% of Palestinian workers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip receive wages that fall below the minimum wage.

(Palestine Economy Portal)