They left Metrovias to negotiate with the union over its wage claim.

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While ruling out "a complete free-for-all" on public sector pay, the authors claim greater flexibility in wage rates would improve work standards.

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The Italian wage-bargaining process allows workers to claim for extra pay if inflation turns out to be higher than expected, says Gareth Claase, an economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland.

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That makes the White House claim that 15 million workers would benefit from the planned minimum wage over the next few years pretty extravagant, even as many labor contracts stipulate automatic renegotiation when the minimum is raised.

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