Mexico City - Labor Secretary Alfonso Navarrate Prida signed a collaboration agreement with workers and employers Thursday to have a uniform minimum wage across Mexico by this year's end.

Navarrete said in a press conference that the agreement aims to increase the worker's minimum wages and address the legitimate demand of integrating geographic areas A and B, which have different minimum wages.

He said the two areas will meet halfway to reach a fixed wage by the April deadline.

Speaking before representatives of employers, he said the productive sectors recognize that permanent dialogue between workers, employers and government has enabled progress in commitments such as the increase of formal employment.

Other advances have included greater economic productivity and training workers for better cooperation with employers, which has increased labor peace.

Mexico needs to create at least 800,000 jobs each year to absorb the population that joins the labor market and to increase workers' purchasing power.

Navarrete Prida said all of this is possible with a commitment from everyone involved in order to conserve the workforce and continue efforts to formalize employment.

This will translate to a commitment to increase the productivity of work places under the focus of shared responsibility.

The meeting included representatives from workers' unions such as Ramón Humberto Ojeda Silva of the Labor Congress and José Luis Carazo Preciado of the Mexican Workers' Confederation.