But wage increases for managers at multinationals, private and state-owned companies have slowed or stalled.
But with inflation around 6.5% in 2011, real wage increases are just over 4%.
Mr. Samuelsen rejected the idea that wage increases needed to be offset by other cuts.
And in many areas, wage increases ranging from 10 to 30 percent have become the norm.
The AP notes that Romney has supported cost-of-living minimum wage increases for a decade.
There's some debate about the impact and extent of these wage increases on foreign markets.
Achieving such diversity is fairly easy when companies are able to pay big nominal wage increases.
With surprisingly low inflation, the argument goes, workers were content with low nominal wage increases.
Putting forward next year's budget, Mr Pina Moura insisted that wage increases will be held down.
Higher import taxes, recently introduced to pay for public-sector wage increases, are also causing concern.
The union wants wage increases tied to the Consumer Price Index, a federal government measure of inflation.
The government supercharged growth, stimulating demand with wage increases, price controls, an undervalued peso and public works.
This pressure creates an inexorable economic problem: Wage increases consistently outpace inflation with no increase in productivity.
Meagre wage increases (for those lucky enough to be in work) mean shoppers have little extra to spend.
But that, too, has been disappointing in recent months, constrained by weak job creation and paltry wage increases.
Sadly, it looks more likely that extra money will trickle away, in wage increases and other inflated costs.
Germany, the euro zone's largest economy, is also headed for big wage increases.
Some analysts say that the wage increases will sharply outpace any productivity gains.
Workers may be prepared to accept zero wage increases if inflation is 3%, implying a 3% real pay cut.
ECONOMIST: Central banks disagree on the rate of inflation to aim for
With a trend of significant wage increases through the last three years, the outlook for respiratory therapists looks good.
Health-care spending will essentially devour all our future wage increases and economic growth.
Support for the traditional economic view--that the minimum wage increases unemployment among the lowest-skilled workers and among teenagers--has been weakening.
Nissan struck an agreement with the unions, limiting wage increases and giving the company more flexibility with its temporary workforce.
The Obama administration points to companies such as Costco, Wal-Mart and Stride Rite that have supported past minimum wage increases.
Ten states saw minimum-wage increases at the beginning of this year, all but one due to an automatic cost-of-living bump.
There is a sense here that this is the key battle if spending cuts and wage increases are to be defeated.
Companies have been able to move production offshore and to resist demands for wage increases from workers in their domestic market.
ECONOMIST: American profits have been high but the trend may not last
For the economy as a whole, the average price and wage increases were only 110% and 150% respectively (see left-hand chart).
And rising house prices are likely to fuel wage increases to attract workers to areas where labour is in short supply.
The German position, however, seems to be that the PIGS countries cannot maintain the benefit of wage increases that Germans denied themselves.
FORBES: As G8 Assembles, Are Germans Prescribing 40% Wage Cuts for Spain, Ireland, Plus Greek Exit?
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