The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has renewed its call for a $12,000 per week National Minimum Wage in light of the current economic challenges mainly brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In noting that the cost of food keeps rising, PNP President, Mark Golding, at a party press conference, said the minimum wage increase would help struggling families.

“I also repeat my call for the minimum wage to be substantially increased to become a livable wage; at least $12,000 a week so that families with breadwinners only earning the minimum wage have a chance to make it in life,” urged Golding.

The current National Minimum Wage of $7,000 per week, was set in 2018.

To make his case for the much-needed increase to the minimum wage, Golding said after the economy shrunk by over 10 per cent in 2020, “the Government is now projecting recovery of only three to six per cent this year.

“So it is clear that the nation will remain poorer than before the pandemic for some time to come,” he opined.

Turning to the Government’s response to the spike in the cost of living, the Opposition leader said it is “inadequate”.

“There has been mention of a $10,000 grant, but it is unclear how it is to be accessed and who is (to be) eligible for it.

“MPs (Members of Parliament) are to be given funds for care packages, but that will only stretch to a small fraction of the people in need in their constituencies,” declared Golding.

“Everybody who goes to a shop knows that food prices have risen far more than the official inflation statistics. Even patty gone up,” he added.

Meanwhile, Opposition Spokesman on Finance and Planning, Julian Robinson, has forecasted that 2022 will be a challenging year for the economy, especially due to the rise in COVID-19 cases locally, which is suspected to be caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant.

“We already have seen significant increases in the cost of food, electricity and gas, and these increases will continue into the New Year and throughout the year,” he shared.

Arguing that the “overburdened public” has not recovered from the effects of COVID-19, Robinson said “We have to ensure, and the Government has to ensure, that there are steps put in place to cushion these blows for the most vulnerable.”

To accomplish this objective, Robinson said the Government has to ensure that “taxpayers’ money are judiciously spent”.

https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/pnp-calls-12000-national-minimum-wage-amid-economic-hardships