Minimum Wage Task Force Has First Meeting

The Minimum Wage Task Force held its first meeting today in Belmopan. Convened by the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour, and Local Government, the group will oversee implementation of the five-dollar minimum wage commitment of Plan Belize.  This follows Cabinet’s November request to the ministry that they develop a plan to gradually increase the minimum wage which is currently three dollars and thirty cents an hour, and bring it up to five dollars. The last increase was in 2012. According to the Ministry of Labour, now, ten years later, the existing minimum wage for unskilled workers and workers who are engaged in elementary occupations is being reassessed. Because this would have implications for various sectors of the economy, the phased increases will be tied to productivity, growth and Belize’s competitiveness. Stakeholder input will also be considered. The task force is comprised of seven persons representing workers, employers and the government. The Chair is Cindy Thompson of the University of Belize. Other members are Daniel Gutierez of Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Carlesha Francisco of National Bank of Belize; Fayne Nicasio from the Ministry of Economic Development; Luis Luke Martinez of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize,  Candice Soutar of Central Bank of Belize and Anne Marie Thompson of the, Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government.