NASSAU, Bahamas — The aim of the Davis administration’s liveable wage is to raise more Bahamians above the poverty line, according to Chairperson of the National Tripartite Council Sharon Martin, The Nassau Guardian reported on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, in an article written by Paige McCartney.
The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) promised in its Blueprint for Change that it would phase in a liveable wage. The administration recently announced an increase in the minimum wage from $210 to $260 per week.
Since then the public and stakeholders at large have questioned what exactly a liveable wage would entail and what it would mean for employers.
Martin, who appeared as a guest on Nassau Guardian Radio talk show THE REVOLUTION with Juan McCartney yesterday, said with the increase in the minimum wage complete, the next move for the council would be working toward recommendations for a liveable wage in The Bahamas.
The most recent data from the Department of Statistics’ 2013 Household Expenditure Survey reveals that 12.5 percent of the Bahamian population lived in poverty, which represented roughly 8.7 households. Martin said since that time The Bahamas has seen big shifts and so new data is needed.
“The process has begun in terms of just laying it on the table. The 2013 Household Expenditure Survey showed an individual needed at least $11.64 to meet the poverty line per day. We have to begin to get some data and pull the data and look at where the poverty line of the country is at this time, and begin to lift persons above the poverty line and that is the whole aim of a liveable wage,” she said.
Executive Manager in the Ministry of Labour Quinton Laroda said for now, the government and the tripartite council will begin discussions with stakeholders to ensure a sustainable figure is reached for workers and businesses.
“When we were doing the research for the minimum wage increase, one of the things we were interested in was buying power. That was a key focus, because you can increase the minimum wage and then businesses correspond by increasing the prices of services and goods, and then you find that at the end of the day, you are making more money but are still consuming less, so we’re at the same spot,” he said.
See complete article in The Nassau Guardian at https://thenassauguardian.com/liveable-wage-seeks-to-raise-more-bahamians-above-poverty-line-says-ntc-chair/
