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Empresas y finanzas

Greece promises to boost minimum wage as debt talks loom


    ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's leftist government outlined plans to lift the minimum wage on Sunday, continuing a roll-back of the austerity terms of its international bailout and underlining the balancing act it faces to persuade a sceptical Europe to agree a new debt accord.

    New Labour Minister Panos Skourletis said the government would move ahead with its plans to restore collective bargaining and raise the minimum wage, which was cut from 751 euros (563 pounds) a month to 586 euros under the 2012 bailout agreement.

    "We have said that reinstating the minimum wage to this level can be a small growth shock for the market," he told Greek television. "When you give people with such low incomes some money, this will be spent for basic needs: bread, milk, a pair of shoes," he said.

    (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Hugh Lawson)