Devon Dick
THE HONOURABLE Minister Horace Dalley should resign over the mishandling of the minimum wage matter. It appears that he misled the country, did not keep his word to the Parliament, and failed to respond to the executive Director of the Jamaica Employers Federation (JEF) (Gleaner, January 12). Minister Dalley gave the impression that the national minimum wage was increased by 20 per cent when in fact the average increase was 16 per cent. One category of workers got 20 per cent while security guards got 12.5 per cent.
And worse, according to the Hansard, Dalley stated that the increase 'will keep the most vulnerable workers ahead of inflation'. He made that statement on the premise that the inflation rate was 14 per cent so the workers got a six per cent cushion.
WAY BEHIND
The truth is that the last increase was on November 1, 2003 and the inflation rate from then to January 31, 2005, was approximately 20 per cent! So the security guards are worse off than in November 2003. In fact, all categories of workers will be worse off by the time they get their cheques at the end of February 2005. The inflation rate increase would be higher than the salary adjustment and by December 2005, the last time a worker should get $2,400 a week or $90 a hour, all minimum wage earners would be way behind inflation.
Furthermore, the minister did not keep his promise to Parliament that there would be an annual review. Nevertheless, the minister must be commended for saying, 'Mr. Speaker, some groups in lobbying for a lower increase than we have recommended, advance the argument that any double digit increase would lead to job loss ... (However) empirical data from a range of developed and developing countries have failed to establish any direct link between these two variables.'
But nevertheless, the JEF gave the impression that the number of security guards shrinking from 17,248 to 13,340 was due to the increase in minimum wage. But the Opposition spokesman on Labour, Ruddy Spencer, is right in claiming that $2,400 'might become a disincentive to work'. In fact, minister you should have told the JEF that some Jamaicans refused to work for low wages in the Free Zone and labourers had to be imported!
SLAVERY WAGES
Minister, you also failed to respond to the JEF, who said that the minimum nutritional standards with an additional amount for non-food items is $1,028 a week. If that is so then you should lead a campaign to encourage JEF and all Jamaicans to live on the $1,000 a week nutritious diet. If this statement is true, then employers living on $1,000 a week could be saving thousands of dollars, and therefore, would be in a better position to pay more. Or is it only a certain class of people who should live on that?
Minister, you know that this low wage only helps owners who employ security guards, janitors and workers in fast food restaurants, department stores and hotels. As I listened to your presentation in Parliament from the gallery along with nine ordinary Jamaicans, the sotto voce comments from those persons was 'a slavery wages dat'. I later found out that these were supporters of the PNP. The only mitigating circumstance to consider whether to resign is how will you survive on an MP's salary.
Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church and author of 'Rebellion to Riot: the Church in Nation Building'.
