Trade unions in Barbados on Monday made an urgent call for an increase in the minimum wage as many citizens struggle with the rising cost of living.
The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) warned that without immediate action, poverty rates could surge, pushing more people to the breadline.
General Secretary Dennis De Peiza told Barbados TODAY that he did not believe the current economic hardship would improve given the constant price increases the island experienced over the past year. In fact, he said he anticipated things would get much worse as the year progressed. In light of this, he said the Minimum Wage Board needed to review the minimum wage as a matter of urgency to prevent an uptick in poverty rates and people living on the breadline.
Last February, the General Secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union, Toni Moore, called for a reassessment of the minimum wage. In response, Minister of Labour Colin Jordan assured Barbadians that the Minimum Wage Board would “reactivate shortly” to discuss the pay floor. Even though he said he could not give a definitive timeframe or a date, he supported the call for a review, acknowledging that periodic reassessment was essential to ensure it remained aligned with economic realities and continued to fulfil its intended purpose. During the budgetary proposals the following month, Prime Minister Mia Mottley confirmed there would be a minimum wage review. Since then, there has not been any public announcement by the government about the minimum wage or a review.
Repeated efforts to reach Jordan for an update were unsuccessful up to press time.
De Peiza said the trade union umbrella was not aware of any recent discussions about the minimum wage, underscoring the importance for officials and relevant stakeholders to assess the current rate and negotiate a new one.
“I would like to think that if the Minimum Wage Board is seriously intending to address what I believe to be a real concern [they would reconvene],” he said. “As you would realise, work demands are higher, the cost of living is continuing to rise, and one would expect that people would be properly remunerated. I think part of the problem that we have in Barbados is that people are receiving substandard wages and when you have to think about people earning a minimum of $350 a week to pay rent, utilities, which are all excessive, it begs the question – how do they survive?
“Then we have a problem with obesity and all the other health concerns and we have been advocating to people that they should buy fruits and vegetables which are extremely expensive. I don’t know how people are able to make that balancing act.
“So we have to have some serious discussions and consultations as to how . . . we should make a change that makes the standard of living better for those that are particularly vulnerable and at the lower end of the scale. We would want to think that sometime in the immediate future that this discussion opens up again and we have some serious positions made so that we can evaluate and see how best to move forward.”
There was widespread concern last year about price increases. Many concerned Barbadians and consumer rights groups raised the matter on various social media platforms and call-in programmes. The island’s merchants attributed the increases to international conflicts and market flow disruptions such as shipping and distribution challenges and input shortages.
De Peiza highlighted that many of the challenges faced last year persist, pointing to ongoing global issues such as the conflict in the Middle East, the shipping crisis, and shifts in major economies like China and the United States.
He said nothing had returned to normal and emphasised that these factors impact Barbados, a country heavily reliant on imports.
“All of those things are impacted and we do not live in a world of isolation. We do most of our business through imports and the persons we engage in the retail sector and have those types of jobs are at the lower end and depend on the turnover of business. If we don’t pay them a decent wage, what is going to happen?” De Peiza questioned.
The trade union leader stressed the need for a comprehensive approach to tackling these issues.
“You have to sit down and do an evaluation, we have to look at the whole picture, there cannot be any piecemeal approach to it. A comprehensive study has to be done to get a good understanding of whether the country is in a position to maintain certain levels and if it can do that, how we are going to induce the type of support mechanism to give comfort to this,” he said.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
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