Wages in Fiji

from w
In today's Fijilive there are some facts about the low wages for many people in Fiji, and this is not even talking about the unwaged such as a widow with five children who gets nothing, and I don't need to describe what I think about the insane amounts of money given to some people in Fiji who are on the political bandwaggon. Many women these days have to resort to cooking coconut pies etc, and catching a bus to the market and back to sell their products to make a little money towards school fees etc. Their labour is probably 50 cents an hour or less!

Talks on to raise low Fiji wage rate
29/09/2008
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A Fiji worker’s union is calling for the increase in the national minimum wage to $4.36, more than double the current rate.

The Fiji Island Council of Trade Unions general secretary Attar Singh said that its affiliate unions who met in Suva at the weekend are willing to negotiate a progressive increase of the wage rate with the Wages Council.

“It can be $3 to start with then progressively increase to $3.50 and so on, we are happy to discuss that with the Wages Council,” he said.

The Basic Needs (poverty line) rate has been determined at $164.00 per week (48 hours) or $3.41666/hr.

Meanwhile, the Wages Council will be holding its second round of meetings in the various sectors over the next two weeks, beginning today.

The sectors include Road Transport Manufacturing, Printing, Wholesale & Retail Security, Sawmilling & Logging, Garment, Building & Civil Electrical Engineering, Hotel & Catering, Mining & Quarrying.

At the last Manufacturing Wages Council meeting, a proposal was made to review the current minimum wage for the manufacturing sector to increase the current legislated rate of $2.00/hr to $3.00/hr, with the rate for casual workers to increase correspondingly to $3.66/hr.

Members of the council have been asked to provide their views on this proposal at its meeting tomorrow.

While some employers would be comfortable with a gradual increase in the wage rates towards $3, the same may not be said for the Garment sector, which has its current minimum set at a very low $1.26/hr.