Minimum wage still too little

After almost four years since the last increase, yesterday Labour Minister Karl Samuda announced that low-income earners would receive a national minimum wage increase from $7,000 to $9,000 per 40-hour workweek, just a thousand dollars short of what several Jamaicans had hoped for.

Yesterday before the announcement, with a pending increase on the horizon, The Gleaner had polled citizens in the Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, commercial centres of Clock Tower, York Plaza and Tropical Mall to find out whether the minimum wage needed to be increased and if so, what would be the proposed sum.

Many suggested an increase to $10,000, although noting that even that would be insufficient to combat the harsh reality of rising costs in food, gas, transportation and other general commodities.

The last minimum wage was raised by 12.9 per cent from $6,200 to $7,000 in 2018.

Here are views from the public:

JAMAL ALI:

Jamaica is really a consuming country and we don’t really produce a lot out of here, so we take a look on the US and last week we saw that food was increased by 15 per cent. What that means for the smaller islands like Jamaica is that we will have to increase the cost of our food price also because we import more than we export.

I think the minimum wage should be doubled, bringing it to a total of $14,000 weekly. But even this will not suffice.

The Government of Jamaica should revisit the national minimum wage on a quarterly or yearly basis as opposed to every four years, while evaluating the economy of Jamaica and the inflation of the world and devise a reasonable amount to pay over so that persons can live somewhat comfortably on a weekly basis or daily basis.

The minimum wage must be supplemented to the point where people can live.

LEE MCKENZIE:

That deh minimum wage nuh deh nuh where near the cost of living now, cause things move up so rapidly. Almost every day we go to wholesale, supermarket and things gone up. So the minimum wage right ya now supposed to be least $16,000 that people can live and have a better quality of life.

ARIANA ROSS:

Food prices are going up, taxi fares keep raising, gas keeps going up. Come on, $7,000? That can’t do anything. I actually thought it was $10,000 all along.

It should be increased to $12,000 but not even that would be enough for persons to purchase food, care for themselves and children, take transportation and pay bills.

CHRISANNA MCKENZIE:

I think it should increase because every day something raise and $7,000 cannot help. The $7,000 nuh make no sense and me feel like not even $10,000 can help. So me feel like them coulda do betta.

God know the ten grand cah do nothing but the ten grand woulda alright.

ELAINE HARRIS:

Most of what the lower class of Jamaicans depend on to purchase for a living has seen a price increase. The minimum wage should be increased to $10,000, especially in light of the financial impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on persons who have also been out of a job. The likkle meagre money weh dem a get cyah manage. Just last week a wholesaler said that chicken meat was being sold for $300 per pound.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com