Wages in 1982 - Two events strongly influenced the evolution of wages throughout the year 1982 — first, the legal working week went from 40 to 39 hours, with the effective working time dropping from 40.3 to 39.2 hours per week; second, wages were frozen from June 11 to October 31. The purchasing power of the SMIC (guaranteed minimum wage) increased by 4%, that is, almost as much as in 1981. The purchasing power of the average hourly wage also went up. However, that of the average monthly wage decreased slightly, due to the drop in the effective working time, which was over an hour between the beginning and the end of the year. By up-dating annual wage statements (Déclarations Annuelles de Salaires), the average monthly wage in the private a...