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A union official is welcoming word that the National Minimum Wage Advisory Committee has not only been constituted but is expected to have its first meeting this Friday after years of calling for the living wage to be reviewed.

Labour Minister Steadroy Benjamin confirmed to Observer on Friday that the committee is now in place to examine the pros and cons associated with a possible increase to the rate.

It comes after mounting calls for the government to reassess what is considered a living wage in Antigua and Barbuda, with the current rate of $8.20 per hour serving as the standard since 2015.

Speaking to Observer Media on Sunday, Deputy General Secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU) Chester Hughes said the long-awaited move is welcomed news.

“A lot has changed since 2015. We have seen clear increases in the cost of living and Social Security, and it is only fair to the people that are earning on the lower end of the pay spectrum that the committee at least meet and assess, in a meaningful way, whether these people can actually survive on what they are being paid now,” Hughes said.

He claimed the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party administration has been treating the issue of periodical reviews of the minimum wage like a “stepchild” with no meetings of an advisory committee since 2014.

“The committee should meet every two years based on law and they have not been doing it, so this review is more than overdue for Antigua...

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