Cost of living up by 3.4 percent

PALMA
THE trade union CCOO yesterday warned that Balearic families will have “difficulties in making their money last to the end of the month” due to the latest increase in the Consumer Price Index (which puts the cost of living up by 3.4 percent this year), the salaries paid in the islands (which are below the national average), the cost of housing, and the increase in unemployment and the cost of mortgages.

Union sources confirmed that the increase of 0.6 percent in prices on the Balearic Islands in October is “bad” news for workers and for the Balearic economy.

In addition to this, the CCOO recalled that 34 percent of workers do not have unions to bargain for them, and criticised the increase in the price of essential products such as bread, transport, teaching and housing.

With the increase of 0.6 percent in October, the Balearics was the region which recorded the least rise in prices during this month, followed by the Canaries and Madrid (1.1 percent), La Rioja, Galicia and Murcia ( 1.7 percent) and Aragon (1.6 percent). The accumulated inflation (from January) in the Balearics was 2.5 percent.

On the Balearics there was no sector which had any large increases last month, the highest rise being in shoes and clothing (4.9 percent). Other, lesser, increases were in food and non alcoholic drinks (1.7 percent) and teaching (1.3 percent), while prices fell for leisure and culture (1.4 percent), and for hotels, cafes and restaurants (0.9 percent).

In comparison with the Consumer Price Index for the month of September 2006 (interannual inflation), the prices increased especially for alcoholic drinks and tobacco (6.4 percent), food and non alcoholic drinks (5.1 percent), transport (4.9 percent) and teaching (4.4 percent.

Alcohol and tobacco:rise of 6.4 PERCENT
Shoes and clothing:rise of 4.9 PERCENT
Food:rise of 1.9 PERCENT
Public Transport:rise of 4.9 PERCENT
Finally the accumulated inflation (so far this year) fell significantly in shoes and clothing (down by 4.2 percent) and medicine (down 2.8 percent).
However, there were increases in alcoholic drinks and tobacco (5.8 percent), transport (4.7 percent) and food and non alcoholic drinks (4.6 percent).
Inflation rose in October in all regions, although the greatest increases were to be found in Extremadura (1.8 percent), Galicia (1.7 percent), Murcia (1.7 percent), La Rioja (1.7 percent) and Aragon (1.6 percent).