The Labour Party leader, Mahendra Chaudhry, reminds us that Biman Prasad was advocating a $5-an hour minimum wage six years ago in opposition yet has failed to fully deliver that again in his second budget since he gained control of the economy. The nation’s lowest paid workers are getting a 50 cents an hour increase to $4.50 from August 1 and won’t get the full $5 announced in the budget until April 1 next year – a full 9 months away.
How is that going to make a substantial difference to low income earners when by general acknowledgement, prices have gone through the roof? Answer: It isn’t. And it’s to the Coalition’s eternal shame that it has so demonstrably failed to prioritise throwing a more substantial lifeline to the poor when it has been so extravagant in feathering the nests of its own MPs.
Biman Prasad is trying to make a virtue of parliament’s emoluments increases “only” costing an extra $4.2 million – not the “only $8.1-million” the Prime Minister originally cited – because the rest makes up the shortfall from parliamentary pay cuts during the Covid crisis. So what? They are still obscenely excessive compared with the 50 cents an hour extra our lowest paid workers are getting until next April and the $1 an hour after that.
Even some Coalition supporters are expressing their personal anger and disappointment to Grubsheet that the government hasn’t done a lot better to assist the poor. An affluent friend in Suva who is close to the leadership says that once again, the government has “bowed to pressure from the business elite” to keep the minimum wage low. Quote: “These people keep telling the government that the country can’t afford a higher hourly rate for low paid workers. It is rubbish. They are raking in millions in profits and can easily afford a much bigger increase. So Biman Prasad is no better than Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum in pandering to the wealthy at the expense of ordinary people”. Unquote. Ouch.
Anecdotal evidence tells us that many employers are paying far higher than the minimum wage for their workers, not just to keep employees happy because they are competent and trusted but because of a sense of social obligation and personal discomfort that their wages are pitifully inadequate to meet the current cost of living pressures. Quote: “I pay my live-in house girl $350 a week and my gardener $275 to work part time because I can’t see how they and their families can survive otherwise, given prices at the market. As for supermarkets, forget it. Ordinary people can’t afford to shop there”. Unquote.
Much is being made of the wage increases that have been granted to civil servants in the budget, though for teachers and nurses, they are not enough and the threat of strike action persists. Yet as with the last government, the Coalition sees civil servants as a natural political constituency that it cannot afford to alienate. It’s those who are not on the public teat and therefore outside the public safety net who are the most vulnerable, which is why the minimum wage is so important when fully one third of the nation officially lives in poverty.
Full marks to the Labour Party leader, Mahendra Chaudhry, for again giving those people a voice. Time was when the likes of Felix Anthony or Dan Urai would do so but their voices have become muted since their political kai vata got hold of the reins of power and they have gained influence at the top when once they had none. As we’ve reported, Felix Anthony went public before the budget saying the minimum wage should be increased to at least $6 an hour. He now pronounces himself satisfied with the measly $4.50 for the next 9 months and $5 after that.
Would he have said the same were Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum still controlling the levers of the economy? Not on your nelly. So who now speaks for the poor? Not former crusaders like Sashi Kiran, who sits in the government totally silent on the excesses of MPs in comparison to the plight of ordinary people. Not the Fiji Council of Trade Unions, who are now also part of the political establishment.
In the absence of an effective opposition, only the Fiji Labour Party, it seems, is willing to stand up for the most disadvantaged from outside the parliament. Which is why it is far from a spent force – despite what Grubsheet might have said in the past – and why Mahendra Chaudhry is still a viable political player. Almost a lone voice speaking up for a great many ordinary people who lost their voice when the NFP and the other Coalition parties came in from the cold 18 months ago and settled at the public trough.
The hopelessly compromised Dialogue Fiji – which has remained noticeably silent about the parliamentary emoluments increases – describes the 50-cents an hour increase in the minimum wage for the next nine months as a “step in the right direction”.
Seriously? It is risible that Executive Director Nilesh Lal should regard this as an adequate response to raising Fijians out of poverty. And it is high time for Dialogue Fiji’s international funders to examine the independence of the organisation and whether it is genuinely standing up for the vulnerable in Fiji.
And can somebody please explain what has happened to St Shamima of Ali? The head of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre was once the conscience of the nation on such matters. But her recent public interventions have been mainly to support the Chair of the Emoluments Committee, Lynda Tabuya, in the attacks on her over her sex and drug scandal. And she has also been noticeably silent on MPs feathering their nests and the failure of the Coalition to make a priority of poverty alleviation.
Has anyone even seen Shamima Ali recently? Or have her international funders told her to shut up about the Queen of Tarts and stick to her core raison d’être of supporting the victims of domestic violence. She’s not even doing a proper job of that. Her silence on a domestic violence perpetrator being reinstated as Minister for Education has been deafening.
If the taxpayers of donor countries only realised how negligent these organisations have become in genuinely standing up for the interests of ordinary people with their fellow travellers in the political elite. They barked loudly when Fijifirst was in power. Now it is a whimper of protest or silent acquiescence. And either way, it isn’t good enough.
The coalition government has performed one miracle.
With the assistance of the Fiscal Review Committee Mahendra Chaudhry has been resurrected as a political force. A miracle performed in 3 simple steps:
1. Raising VAT
2. Tax holiday
3. Putting up MP wages
🤣🤣🤣
Biman’s missed the mark on this one he should have immediately gone to $5 hr from August 1 and then to $6 in next 6 months or perhaps gone to $6 with the next 6-12 months but the increase should have been to $6 within a very short period of time.
With food inflation still a persistent problem the issue of further escalating inflation based on immediate increase to $6 would probably been an issue but I think the capacity was there to absorb the immediate increase as $6 would have had a positive impact on increasing productivity so this would have been somewhat offset against inflation.
The optics dont look good when MPs vote themselves an immediate increase while others have to get in line and wait.
There are some good increases in social payments which will help the poor.
Some greater incentives to businesses to invest and generate economic activity should have been looked at. But good to see a $10,000 grant for new entrepreneurs who wants to start a business.
As for Mahen, he is playing playing politics as he knows that it’s very difficult under current fiscal conditions to meet all demands and he has not told the country what specific measures he will undertake to grow the economy. His policies are still too socialist , while the poor and the vulnerable must always be taken care off, the greatest way to increase prosperity is through less regulations, attractive investment and tax policies that increase investment, creates jobs and gets an economy.
Handouts while needed is never the way to increase prosperity.
“The ‘optics’ dont look good when MPs vote themselves an immediate increase while others have to get in line and wait.”
It’s not just about the ‘optics’, as you put it, Rajivwa. Stop trivializing and misrepresenting.
The whole morality of it stinks. It’s a reflection of this government’s greed and corruption. It’s an ominous sign about the future. This greedy and incompetent lot are not fit to run the country. They could well bankrupt the Fiji. The poor are the biggest victims and sufferers of their greed.
Yet you see it fit to target the poor by talking about handouts being bad for them, while making excuses for your government.
The biggest recipients of handouts is the PAP government and big business like Fiji water! Surely you’re not that blind or stupid!
Your head is too deeply embedded in NFP’s/Biman’s arse. Pull it out and smell the roses, Rajivwa.
Increasing the Civil servants pay to Step 2 doesn’t mean they will have more money in their pockets. It is a mere $50-70 increase per forthnight. $35 per week. Peanuts overall for Civil servants and a slap to Minimum wage earners. Whilst Baimaan has swiftly moved to increase their pay by 3 fold.
Chops has no economy sense, he is a bullshit professor. A sudden hike in prices from FMF, Punjas and hardware companies is incoming through peanut pay rise. Goodman Fielder is another company robbing Fijians by milking millions from our local consumers.
This Government is for the elite and not for the poor. True colour’s and this government’s hopelessness will be seen next year. Fiji’s climatic weather isn’t cold enough this winter and a bigger cyclone awaits in 2025. The weather Forcast looks bleak for Fiji. FFP Aiyaz and Bai have filled their pockets but they got some of the job done properly.
While Baimaan keeps talking about the previous Government’s short comings, he will go down in the history as Fiji’s worst Financial Minister.
I agree with Pita, after hearing his budget speech and witnessing Biman’s cash splash I now believe his PhD in economics is fake. He is a fake professor and we should stop referring to him as one. If he qualifies for a PhD it should be PhD in poverty continuance. Prior to the elections he was claiming poverty levels were as high as 50% of the population, in his entire speech the word poverty was not 15%mentioned once reflecting no serious desire to alter the wealth pyramid that is heavily stacked in favour of the rich. Realistically inflation is a lot higher than the 7% cited by the Reserve Bank, it’s more like 12-15% , ask any housewife who shops at our local supermarkets. The minuscule rises he stretched out for low paid workers will be swallowed up by inflation in no time. Felix Anthony and his bag boy, Dan Ura’s disappoint us once more and even NGO Social Services leader, Vani Catinisiga who is a member and signatory of Richie NAIDU’s Fiscal Review Committee contradicts herself revealing her ignorance once again. I mean before the National Economic Summit she was publicly declaring the virtues of IMF prescriptions, the agency responsible for creating much poverty and hardship in the developing world. The 36% increase in the military budget is hard to fathom, and we wait in anticipation for an explanation.
The poor need money and they need it now. Not April next year. Good luck with that Anti-Narcotics bullshit.
Will there be post budget dialogues around the country by Minister Biman so taxpayers are aware of where the funds are invested from each. Portfolio? I think it is important to have that. And is there a e-budget copy that we can access?
In a corporate sector, when a person is under fraudulent practice investigation they are made to stand down from their role till full investigation is completed. We have ministers, Biman included, still in significant roles. It smells of corruption if members are still in their roles.
Be warned: When the going gets too tough for the poor, they will do their best to provide food for their children, even to theft. Thus the refusal to elevate the minimum wage will stimulate the growth of the police force, lawyers and prisons.
How will they have a budget debate if all the independent opposition members decide to join other parties in government?
Is it enough?
Yes it is, enough of the bullshit that is going around with this government. Enough with gouging the poor, enough with the extravagant salaries for MP’s, enough with the VAT increases, enough with the false promises, enough with trying to fool everyone that the economy is doing great when it’s not, enough with blaming the previous government for its shortcomings, enough with the BS on fighting drugs.
Damn, I gotta say that this government is given its all to fulfill all of its false promises so far.
They are spending millions in ads to bring tourists in but hotel workers make so little. If these wealthy companies can invest millions in a property , they can bloody well pay the hotel employees a living wage. The hospitality workers are the key to the success of the tourist experience.
How many properties did wealthy Chinese purchase, and for that privilege to move their money over to Fiji, was it ever negotiated that they had do pay these employees more, do anything extra to raise the standard for these employee’s lives? I doubt it. But would love to know if anyone knows the answer.
When people thrive, it’s good for tourism in the long run. People that are happy and not impoverished and not doing drugs and make better hospitality workers which helps tourism.
Please someone explain how millions are spent on ads, conventions and flying around the world to boost tourism markets but those in tourism do not share in that wealth.
Another things is while millions are spent on ads, they can’t simply have someone get a bag and pick up plastic bottles on the beaches, recycle. to ensure that tourists don’t encounter this filth if they pull over at a beach outside of a resort. The government needs to educate the people on litter, this has to be taught in school.
Fiji is very late go jump on the sustainability bandwagon, it’s good they have realised this. however it doesn’t take a convention to get people out cleaning and keep litter off the beach. Too many conventions but what they need are rubbish bins and regular pick up. And people being taught about what happens when plastic bottles and caps ends up in the sea.
People that work in tourism should insist on more. They can make or break the tourist experience. When some industry’s raise the standard, others will follow.
Regarding wealthy business pushing to keep wages to slave wage level,
I would venture to say that MP’s have been paid off by certain industry leaders to keep the wage low. Because if you look up old newspaper articles you will see what I’m talking about. Look up the bickering with this sour puss Aussie head of garment industry and Tabuya bickering. At the time she wanted a wage increase..hmmm ,what happened? Did he pay her off?
Something happened. Now this same sour puss comes on Grubsheet and puts down GD, but for what? Only because he was calling out Tabuya and Co.
People like this guy that came to Fiji expecting to pay low wages, they couldn’t get away with that in Australia, but here in Fiji they could lobby for low wages, pay off MP’s… please look into this.. I bet you will find some very interesting. This is the head of the garment workers association, the sour puss that doesn’t want factory workers to have a decent wage.
And as for other people having higher ethical standards, oh yes we do. People are on here in the first place because we do.
My recollection was that FF had approved an increase to $5 by July 2023, and this was set in motion in 2022 prior to inflation concerns. All the Coalition has done is prolong a prior-approved increase, and have done it at a time when it is clearly below what workers need to survive on and provide for their families. I think the huge challenge is that wages are relative to economy size, and under the Coalition the economy has (and continues to) shrink, as does the skill base and productivity. This means while workers surely need more, there is less capacity to do so without further impacting inflation. It’s a mess that was set in motion by the Pandemic and global forces (wars), and a mess that the Coalition’s lack of wisdom keeps making worse.
The security of the govt jobs and pay rises. The moral in the budget is – get a job in the govt. Now it is even safer and permanent. A pay rise from borrowed funds can be counted on. Just get in on the public service payroll. The army is even better. You get paid to keep fit. It is a pathway to political leadership. You can challenge the police in a rugby game. This is probably the most difficult job in the army – defending your try line from an opposition attack.
Ok accepted there are the UN peacekeeping jobs overseas including tours to the holy land where the enemy ‘Philistines’ have to be monitored.
The SUPERMARKETS are for the SUPER RICHES. $6 an hour is just scratching Baimann’s balls .