About Fiji minimum wage

from w
Here is a response concerning the minimum wage in Fiji.

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WAGE RATE

Nishant Singh, Lautoka | Saturday, July 4, 2015

WITH the implementation of the new minimum wage rate and more than 100,000 to benefit as per the relevant ministry's claim, let me put forward a scenario.

An employee, say an unskilled labourer and a breadwinner supporting a family of four, sweats it out for 45 hours a week at $2.32. He would earn about $104.40.

After FNPF deductions kick in (mandatory by law), his take home pay roughly equates to $96.

With the current high standard of living and the cost of goods and services skyrocketing, can the Labour Ministry explain how one would cater for the financial needs for a family of four by earning $2.32/hour?

Basic grocery shopping for four family members would generally amount to $100-$150.

Other subsequent expenses would include utility bills, rent, hire-purchase payments, education, unforeseen medical emergencies and other social obligations. And yes after a tough week at work, one deserves to reward himself with a bowl of kava or a cold glass of beer. So how would one survive on $96 a week to fulfil the above financial commitments?

It still puzzles me as to what feasible formula the Employment Relations Advisory Board and the Ministry of Labour agreed to that justifies the new wage rate. The Government almost daily reminds the public that Fiji is economically progressing at a steep rate and the livelihoods of the people are changing for the better.

If so, then why put into practice such an impractical wage rate for a nation that is supposedly phasing through an economic boom?

Would the Labour Minister be game to work at $2.32/hour?

Take up the challenge and you would almost certainly have an improved understanding of what a common person endures earning less than $3/hour!