Minimum wage unrealistic with ongoing inflation
THE Trades Union Congress (TUC) has refused to guide government on a 1991 minimum wage.
In a document outlining the TUC proposals for the 1991 Budget, to Finance Minister Carl Greenidge, TUC General Secretary Joseph Pollydore said that the unions cannot fix a minimum wage because of government’s “commitment to a process of ongoing devaluation”, unstable cambio rates, and the “spiralling” rise of consumer prices.
“It would be an exercise in futility” to attempt to propose a new minimum wage, Pollydore said.
But in proposing a new minimum wage, the TUC suggests, government must leave “enough flexibility” so that after the budget, which is expected this month end, the TUC and government can negotiate for a minimum wage “in excess of that proposed (by government) in the Budget”. Pollydore stressed that Collective Bargaining between unions and individual State businesses is important for worker satisfaction with wages and salaries.
The TUC also wants “new” wages and salaries scales “providing for yearly increments. The revision should take into account the need to retain and attract required skills”. The current 1% year-oldwages and salaries structure “has become distorted and obsolete” and should be revised, without affecting normal payment of 1991 increases.
On the subject of taxation, the TUC recommends increases on personal allowances for taxpayers and dependents.
The TUC recommends special consideration for the salaries of teachers and nurses and health workers and wants subsidies maintained on gasolene, diesel, gas oil, kerosene and cooking gas. Also there should be heavy concentration on agriculture in order to improve drainage and irrigation and sea defences.
Pollydore said in the document that government seemed unable to respond adequately to demands by workers for the introduction of measures designed to ameliorate hardships” on workers. He also warned that the “current demand for greater political democracy...will in the not too distant future be extended to include demands for... greater trade union democracy”. In this situation, government must “avoid delaying labour representations made to it.” (S.S.)