Minimum Wages

It's difficult to make ends meet on a minimum wage. You have to be very frugal
about your finances, and there is normally very little money left over for fun. The
Ministry of Labor and Small Enterprise Development (MOLSED) wishes to
remind all Employers of Minimum Wage Workers that the Government of the
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has increased the National Minimum Wage from
$15.00 to $17.50 per hour, effective December 01, 2019. While the minimum wage
is gradually rising, it is also insufficient to meet basic needs. This concept is
founded on the notion that a minimum-wage worker must perform 1-2 jobs in
order to maintain financial security.
What is the meaning of minimum wages? The minimum wage is the lowest wage
that an employer is allowed to pay an employee, according to a law or agreement.
According to Finance Minister Colm Imbert he announced the increase in the
minimum wage form $15 per hour to $17.50 per hour as part of the 2020 fiscal
package presented in Parliament. He noted that this would benefit around 194,000
people in the workforce. He said and I quote, “In order to provide economic relief
and to offset the daily expenses of retired daily paid workers going forward, I now
propose that daily-paid workers in the public service with an appropriate minimum
length of service be eligible for the minimum public service pension of $3500”.
This will also increase the wages for CEPEP and URP workers by 15 percent
including CEPEP contractors as well.
In addition to the raise in the minimum wage, some residents continue to face
difficulties and struggles as the cost of living continues to rise, including grocery
products, market supplies, and rent increases by some landlords. According to an
article in Newsday, the interviewee named Janelle De Souza interviewed a citizen
named Patrice Phillip asking her if living on a minimum wage was easy or not. She
replied that she had to make many sacrifices and adjustments to her lifestyle as she
was laid off from her previous job which was paying more but was a little
uncomfortable and began working a minimum wage job.
Now she makes less than what she was previously making before and a baby to
care for. She then stated she was paying $1800 in rent and had to pay for electricity
but since she was laid off, she could no longer afford it and had to move in with
her father. She is in a lot of debt and have to pay off certain loans. She has to limit
her spending as she cannot afford a lot.
What can be done to assist these distressed people? People have been trying to
make ends meet with the increase of the minimum wage, but it has been a daily
struggle for most. And with some grocery stores and market supplies increasing
their food items along with gas prices increased people are trying their best to put
food on the table for their families. What can the government do to help? What the
government can do is provide funding to people who are struggling and in need of
assistance. They can also lower the costs of food products or remove the VAT to
some not all food items. They can also do a food drive handing out food hampers
to persons in need.
To summarize, I discussed the increase in the minimum wage, followed by the
challenges and difficulties people face in preserving financial security, and
eventually, I discussed what can be done to avoid these issues. As I mentioned
before, While the minimum wage is gradually rising, it is also insufficient to meet
basic needs. This concept is founded on the notion that a minimum-wage worker
must perform 1-2 jobs in order to maintain financial security. In conclusion, the
minimum wage increase has certainly helped Trinidadians in minor ways, but does
the increase really satisfy the needs that people can afford?
 References
Daily Express (2020). What you should be paid: Know your rights
Souza De, J (2020). Pay cheque to pay cheque: Living on minimum wage is not
easy. NEWSDAY
Ghouralal, D. (2019). Budget 2020: Minimum wage raised to $17.50. Looptt
Douglas, S. (2019) New minimum wage in effect. NEWSDAY