The Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) welcomes the Government’s recent move to convene the National Minimum Wage Advisory Committee, but is deeply disappointed in the failure of the administration to review the national minimum wage every two years as required by law.
The last review of the national minimum wage took place in 2013 and the recommendations emerging from that review were not implemented until 2015.
General Secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union, David Massiah, says such unconscionable delays put already vulnerable workers at risk of further economic hardship.
“It is a disadvantageous position for the average person in society because the real wage continues to be outstripped by the movement of economic activities in the country and that is why the Government has to review the minimum wage every two years [and bring it]in line with the consumer price index and inflation,” Massiah explained.
In January 2020, and again in January 2022, the ABWU General Secretary wrote to the Labour Minister, Hon. Steadroy Benjamin, urging the establishment of the National Minimum Wage Advisory Committee.
The ABWU also welcomes the Labour Minister’s recent suggestion that the Committee consider a sectoral approach to the minimum wage, as opposed to “having one national minimum wage across the board”. But Massiah reminds that the 2013 National Minimum Wage Advisory Committee had already outlined a tiered system in its proposal to Cabinet dated 11 February 2014. This recommendation was never implemented.
The tiered system assigns a minimum wage to various categories of workers while giving consideration to certifications obtained by individuals as well as the unique conditions of various work categories.
The Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union is hopeful that this latest convening of the National Minimum Wage Advisory Committee would result in the Government’s implementation of a tiered minimum wage system that provides a fair and livable wage for all.
