The Briceño Administration Committed to Realizing Plan Belize’s $5 Minimum Wage
A five-dollar minimum wage increase will likely come to pass before the end of 2022. As we have reported, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry supports a gradual increase in the minimum wage to five dollars, guided by an established formula. On the other hand, Prime Minister Briceño says his administration is prepared to raise the minimum wage to five dollars from three dollars and thirty cents, in keeping with commitments of Plan Belize. Notwithstanding the Prime Minister’s apparent reluctance to embrace the suggested gradual increase, he conceded that a five-dollar increase will in fact come with its own challenges, and that an established mechanism can serve to inform future adjustments.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“What we said in Plan Belize is that we are prepared to raise the minimum wage to five dollars. But, we do recognize that there must be some kind of mechanism where you can take periodic looks at the minimum wage, and whether any adjustments need to be done.”
Reporter
“I think there are some people who are saying that, I think Dylan Reneua in 2008 or so was talking about six dollars then and five now.”
Prime Minister John Briceno
“But Dylan Reneua shut up his mouth when the U.D.P. was in government. The point I want to make is that we understand that, but we have to be realistic. We could go and say raise the minimum wage to ten dollars, twenty dollars, thirty dollars, but what will then happen to businesses, they are going to shut down and then it will create an incredible amount of inflation that will lead us to devaluation. So, we have to find this balancing act that we have to do, that we can’t raise the minimum wage faster than what the economy could absorb. At this time, at the five dollars, it is going to create some difficulties because for instance it means that people who work in the homes to clean homes will have to be paid five dollars an hour. So, for some families, it will be difficult for them to pay their people that comes to clean and cook and so.”
