In the last report for April 2022, according to the National Institute of Development Information (INIDE), the cost of the Nicaraguan basic basket rises to C$17,219.68 córdobas, with wages below the minimum wage according to INIDE itself.nTo the official data of the government of Daniel Ortega, basic foods are derived from the basket, such as meat, dairy products, and eggs; perishable cereals that are equivalent to 11,976.60 córdobas, are part of the nutritious diet of the country.
On the other hand, there are household items, hygiene, and sanitization and covers minimum expenses of electricity, water, and butane gas and transportation on urban transport route in Managua with consumption exceeding 3,397.96 córdobas, together with exceeding the minimum wage in the country.nAnd the elaborate expense of the cheapest so that the Nicaraguan can dress and wear shoes equivalent to 1,845.12 cordobas.nThe basket does not include medical expenses.nnSince 2000 with the Covid-19 pandemic in Nicaragua, as in the whole world, more is spent on supplies such as alcohol, masks, and medical care. However, the real cost of the basket amounts to more, and wages are unequal to the cost of living.nnA resident of Managua who for security reasons asked to omit her name works in a state ministry with a salary of more than 12,000 córdobas, and has two children in primary school, both in private schools, so that she can buy what is necessary for her monthly basket, she must do magic explains, “I spend more than what the basic basket covers, I do miracles with money and I bust my life working weekends and selling products online to be able to supply what I cannot achieve with my fixed salary.”nnThe worker adds that to dress herself and her children, she buys used clothes and thus be able to assume other expenses at the home of the utmost importance, “only in this way do I save a little, because the costs of electricity and water are not as minimal as they seem in a basic basket. Only this month the bill just arrived and my electricity consumption came to 229 kilowatts, which is 2,028 córdobas, as high as if I had a business at home and I have to pay it. He adds that he pays better because filing claims is useless lately,” he resents, referring to the high cost of electricity in the country, one of the most expensive in Central America.
Since Ortega been in power, the basic basket has not stopped increasing
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Only in December 2021, the basic basket had a cost of C$16,255.38 córdobas, in January 2022 it increased to C$16,529.99, in February to C$16,730.09, March to C$16,998.05 and in April it rose to C$17,219.68 córdobas.
Making a comparison in September 2007 the basic food basket in Nicaragua was C$7,216.9, in December 2007 it had risen a little to C$7,713.4 córdobas. Since Daniel Ortega assumes the government of Nicaragua, the cost of living for Nicaraguans has been more expensive, and they are surviving with little.nnComparing the data since Daniel Ortega returned to power, the basic basket rose exactly C$9,506.28 córdobas, amounting to C$17,219.68 córdobas in April 2022.nnOn March 1, 2022, Labor Day in Nicaragua, the National Minimum Wage Commission approved the increase in the minimum wage of 7{e079e928c0ffac93fc2d0bcb855951dc424555b296fe89c532c6f4d7d2083413}, an annual adjustment that will be in force until February 28, 2023, the same as according to expert analysts on the subject, they do not adjust to the “supposed” growth of 10{e079e928c0ffac93fc2d0bcb855951dc424555b296fe89c532c6f4d7d2083413}, which according to the Ortega government the country obtained in 2021.nnThe table of economic sectors with the annual adjustment of the minimum wage details:
SAgricultural sector: C$4,723 cordobas.nFishing C$7,182 cordobasnMines and mines: C$8,484 cordobasnIndustry: C$6,351 cordobasnMicro small craft and tourism industry: C$4,977 cordobasnElectricity and water sector, commerce, restaurant, transportation, and hotel storage, the minimum wage will be C$664.68 córdobas.nConstruction, financial establishments, and insurance: C$10,571 córdobas.nThe central and municipal government will be C$5,890 cordobas.nnFor his part, the economist Enrique Sáenz specifies that government data reveals “that more than 61{e079e928c0ffac93fc2d0bcb855951dc424555b296fe89c532c6f4d7d2083413} of the working population was unemployed, underemployed or something called unpaid workers as of December.”nnSáenz explains that underemployment is defined as those workers who earn less than the minimum wage because they cannot find a job, therefore, they survive with little money “more than 60{e079e928c0ffac93fc2d0bcb855951dc424555b296fe89c532c6f4d7d2083413} of the Nicaraguan population arrived on May 1 (Worker’s Day) earning less than what is needed to survive because the minimum wage is calculated to meet the minimum needs of a worker and his family“, expresses the economist.
The workers lack the right to organize and to assemble, Sanz warns, due to the lack of independent trade union organizations; In general, what exists are groups related to the government that does not contribute to the needs of the workers in the country, but rather serve as repressive arms in public institutions, “there are mafia groups that rather contribute to crushing the rights of workers“, adds Sáenz.nnFor people who have income, they are also affected by what they call the “high cost of living,” explains Sáenz in his program “Vamos al Punto.” According to government figures, the cost of food in the first three months increased by 6{e079e928c0ffac93fc2d0bcb855951dc424555b296fe89c532c6f4d7d2083413} in addition to the 15{e079e928c0ffac93fc2d0bcb855951dc424555b296fe89c532c6f4d7d2083413} that had increased in 2021. “A state worker or a pensioner continues to lose, while the Ortega Murillo dictatorship he fills his mouth talking about the growing economy, talking about the macroeconomic balance that only satisfies the statistics and the ego of those who publish those lying statistics”, concluded the expert.
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