Query re. WTO and the minimum wage in El Salvador

From Gerard Greenfield, 11 February 2000

Recently there have been reports that the WTO forced El Salvador to lower its minimum wage from 60 cents to 36 cents an hour. Another interpretation is that the WTO prevented an increase in El Salvador's minimum wage from 36 to 60 cents.

Most sources where this is reported, like Red Pepper (UK), cite a speech by Charles Kernagan of the National Labor Committee at the University of Washinton on Oct. 3, 1999. Other than references to Kernagan's speech, I haven't been able to find any more information on this, and nothing is mentioned in the available WTO documentation. Does anyone have any more information on this? Was it a WTO ruling (in which case, which government(s) lodged the complaint) or was it an IMF-style "recommebdation" by a WTO review committee that forced this?

Thanks.

In solidarity,

Gerard