The Tribune

By LETRE SWEETING

Tribune Staff Reporter

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

LABOUR and Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said government is still working toward introducing a livable wage to fulfil a pledge the Progressive Liberal Party made in the 2021 Blueprint for Change manifesto.

In October 2021, the PLP promised to introduce legislation to protect consumers, increase the minimum wage and phase in a livable wage.

“Let me just say, this is something that we’re actively working towards,” Mrs Glover-Rolle told reporters yesterday.

“It has to make sense. It has to be beneficial to all of the stakeholders. And you know, this is a tripartite arrangement when it comes to labour. It’s the government, it’s the employees, but it’s also the employers. So we have to make sure that every stakeholder is brought in and that we’ve done the due diligence that is necessary to make it happen.”

Amid rising food and electricity costs, questions have been raised about whether a livable wage will be achieved this term.

Mrs Glover-Rolle said: “That is one of our mandates in the Blueprint for Change, and consultation will continue because we have to make sure we get it right.

“We have to benchmark. We have to speak to all of the stakeholders because while we would like to ensure that our workers are getting a decent pay, we can’t afford to put businesses out of business as well.”

As of January 2023, the government increased the minimum wage for public service workers from $210 to $260 per week.