Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a decree Monday raising the minimum wage for Brazilian workers to 510 reais ($0.60) a month from January 1, up 9.68%.




Brazil's planning ministry cited high inflation, which hit 3.6% between February and December, as the main reason for raising the minimum wage.






Since Lula came to power in 2003, the minimum wage has risen by 155% in nominal terms and by 53.46% in real terms.