Minimum wage increases minimally
Two statutory instruments signed earlier this month will put more money in the pockets of unskilled, domestic and manual workers. Senator Godwin Hulse, the Minister of Labour signed off on the increases which were gazette on May twenty-sixth. SI number fifty-five is a Wages Regulation Amendment order which provides for unskilled workers employed in the citrus industry for cleaning, picking, transporting, processing and handling of fruits to make a minimum wage of three dollars and thirty cents per hour. Domestic workers and Shop Assistants—excluding students—employed either full-time or part-time, will also make three dollars and thirty-cents an hour, which reflects an increase of twenty cents on the previous minimum wage. 
SI number fifty-six applies to manual workers and also increases the minimum wage to three dollars and thirty cents. For persons who work in agriculture, the agro-industry or export oriented industries, that’s an increase of eighty cents an hour on the minimum pay rate. For all other manual workers, it’s an increase of twenty cents. Meanwhile, the minimum wage for students employed outside of school hours or during vacation remains at three dollars an hour under the Shops Act.
Minimum wage should be at least the price of half a gallon of gasoline. But elected Politicians can’t relate to such a simple concept . ” you see, it’s not that simple sir”
This is still taking advantage of the workers,it’s like slave labour, it is the year 2012, workers should be making at least 6 to 10 dollers an hour in belize, how can the live on 3.50 an hour?
Hoping this does not encourage migrants to take the risk of crossing out borders illegally to take advantage of higher wages in Belize, thereby displacing born Belizean. Now do not get me wrong, I believe minimum wage should be higher. However we should be aware of how much of this raise will be making capital flight to neighboring countries. GOBS please do two things over the next six months to a year. Monitor the Western Union transfer for the next six months to a year. Monitor the border traffic at the western borders. I am also hoping employers do not cut back on labor in the short term to compensate for paying out more wages while their profit margin get smaller.
I am a businessman who employs over 150 belizeans. If i were to pay 6 dollars an hour to my employees I would probably be out of business in a month. Unfortunately that is the reality of a low population. W e do not have enough sales to justify high wages. People complain all day about high cost of living in Belize but in reality it is relative to all other countries. In the US you get paid 8 to 10 USD an hour but expenses are much more. That does not mean goods are cheaper but that they have a lot more expenses than us . 10 dollars an hour there is similar to 3.5 here. Of course there is room for improvement but that falls squarely on the hands of government. government as well as the populace believe that it is the business that should pay when that is not true. Businesses can never fail to make a profit orelse they are out of business so whatever taxes are levied on goods the consumer will pay.
I like your deep considerative thoughts aldo. Very true
Oh. This must be Aldo Urbina from A and R.
If we should increase the minimum wage to bout 6 bze and hour. The cost of living will go up relative.
And then your increase income will remain as is today.
Aldo did a good explanation of why and he is right. Thats just how things work
In Belize we suffer from what economists call “money illusion”. Not because we receive more money wages mean we are better off if taxes are prohibitively excessive. This causes real wages to be too low and pushes a great number of people into poverty.
Aldo I understand everything you were saying; what I don’t understand is how the government expect the citizen’s of Belize to survive on 60.00 USD a week. Lets look at the basic necessities, it’s a very long list, I will only discuss two main point of that. Education and Medical what are the people that were put in office by the citizen of our great nation are doing for our country? Nothing people cannot afford the cost of education, and worst if they’re sick go to an hospital and get the right for little or no cost. There is a lot of issues that are needed to be address. Who feel are the people, they don’t and they’re robbing and killing each other.
Actually Aldo and others. 10 an hour in LA where I am from is much better than 3.50 in Belize. 80×5 is 400 a week which is $1600 a month. With that being single you can get a small room for about $700 yo $800 a month for rent, buy groceries and pay a few bills. What can u do with 3.50 an hour being single? 3.50×8 is 28.00×5 which is 140×4 for the month is 560. What can u do with 560 Belize a month being single? I agree with u that due to the economy it kind of add up to the same, however honestly stores back home in Belize are much expensiver. I say expand products for a little cheaper and no problems with products or customers.
Kishean is $3.30 US dollars. It’s 6.60 in belize. In Colombia, people doing the same job make $25.000 COP which is around $12.50 US Dollars per day work. That doesn’t include health. Basic salary is $260 US dollars and people live with that. Latin americans have learned how to survive With little.
So I think $3.30 US dollars is good. I will love to go Belize and check this out.