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ECB's Trichet says wage rises would be folly
European Central Bank (ECB) President Jean-Claude Trichet looks on before addressing the European Parliament Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in Brussels February 7, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Francois Lenoir
PARIS |
PARIS (Reuters) - European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet warned on Sunday against raising wages in the euro zone as inflationary pressures heat up in the bloc.
"It would be the stupidest thing to do," Trichet told France's Europe 1 radio, asked about pressure in countries like Germany for wage rises as economies emerge from the economic crisis and as higher commodity prices fan inflation.
"We can't do anything about the current rise in fuel and commodity prices but we must do everything to avoid what we call second-round effects, the fact that other prices start moving and settle at a higher level than complies with our definition (of stability)," Trichet said.
"I am thinking of the whole range of other prices, including of course, salaries, and we say to employers and unions: remember that we are in a medium to long-term perspective, to maintain price stability."
Trichet was speaking the day after a Paris meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers where inflation was a key topic of discussion. ECB governing council member Christian Noyer commented there that pay demands should be limited.
Euro zone inflation stands at 2.4 percent, above the ECB's 2 percent target, and the ECB has warned that its inflation outlook could move to the upside.
Meanwhile German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle have called for bigger pay rises for workers in 2011 after unions accepted modest increases in recent years as Germany was battling with recession.
Trichet said inflation remained the ECB's top concern and noted that it was those countries in the euro zone that had kept a lid on costs that had managed to reduce unemployment.
The Spanish government, keen to convince markets of its long-term growth prospects, is pushing to de-link wage increases from inflation, something Germany wants to make the rule across the euro zone as part of a new competitiveness pact.
(Reporting by Catherine Bremer; editing by Sophie Walker)
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They did not by all kind of bonds thereby inflating the money supply. They do not keep interest rates artificially low. They did not save their supporters in crime, the banks, who now are back to the old game of speculation and enriching themselves with crazy bonuses.
These people in charge really think that the populace is really stupid and do not see the game played. Shame on them.
Then the Wall Street bankers with their lobbying friends in Washington come along and crash the world economy. Then some even better friends of the the Wallstreet bankers, the Central Bankers (remember – the FED is owned by the biggest banks in America and they have each a share in the FED) come along and print money (to give to their shareholders – the big American banks), so they can invest it in shares (creating a new bubble as you can currently witness on Wallstreet) and raw materials.
But hey, this is the big boys doing their thing here, remember. You little guys in the streets, you are supposed to watch this on TV and then turn off the light and go to bed, while they have their 200$ dinners in fancy restaurants. Don’t you dare ask for a payrise.
What the Western world needs is something like what’s going on in the Arab world right now. We need a second French Revolution. Get that old guillotine out again. Don’t worry if it’s a bit rusty. There is no time to be lost. Give the power back to the people.
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