Current minimum wage rate of $2.68 will be reviewed by the end of this year

The current minimum wage rate of $2.68 will be reviewed by the end of this year.

Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says the current government had introduced the first minimum wage rate in 2014 and it has been reviewed and increased twice.

He says this rate is only for unskilled workers and those who are not part of the 10 sectoral wage categories as those categories have their own minimum wage rate which are higher than $2.68.

He says a foreman in the building sector has a minimum rate of $5.22 per hour, a Class 1 Tradesman has a minimum rate of $4.30 per hour, a miner has a minimum rate of $4.69 per hour while a log truck driver in the logging industry has a minimum rate of $4.25 per hour.

The Minister says raising the minimum wage rate to the level suggested by the Opposition will actually cause job losses.

He says this will cause a chain reaction that will cause inflation.

Sayed-Khaiyum says it would have been very easy for the FijiFirst government to say they would increase the minimum wage rate to $7 an hour just to compete with the Opposition but they did not because they are being responsible.

National Federation Party Leader, Professor Biman Prasad says the current government in instilling unnecessary fear in people by saying the minimum wage rate cannot be raised.

Professor Prasad says the suggested minimum wage rate by NFP will be beneficial to employees and employers alike.

SODELPA MP Mikaele Leawere says the initial minimum wage rate suggested by Father Kevin Barr was $2.70 and the government had reduced it to $2.32.

Leawere says they oppose the current rate and propose a $4 per hour minimum wage rate.