{"id":235720,"date":"2025-05-05T15:19:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T19:19:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=235720"},"modified":"2025-05-05T15:19:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T19:19:51","slug":"abwu-demands-13-50-minimum-wage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/abwu-demands-13-50-minimum-wage\/","title":{"rendered":"ABWU Demands $13.50 Minimum Wage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ABWU Demands $13.50 Minimum Wage Amid Soaring Living Costs<\/strong><\/p>

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Senator David Massiah used his Labour Day address to demand an increase in the national minimum wage to $13.50 per hour, citing spiralling inflation and the economic strain on working-class families.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The General Secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers\u2019 Union (ABWU), Senator David Massiah, delivered a forceful call to action at the union\u2019s Labour Day rally on Monday, urging the government to raise the national minimum wage in response to what he described as a deepening cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>

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\u201cOur cost of living\u2026 is choking the working class,\u201d Massiah told a crowd of union members and supporters, as he criticised the government\u2019s failure to act decisively on inflation. He pointed to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which he said rose to 7.1% in the past year, as evidence of worsening conditions for ordinary citizens.<\/p>

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He said the current minimum wage of $9 per hour was insufficient and outdated, referencing higher rates in neighbouring countries such as Barbados and St Kitts and Nevis. \u201cThey are killing you and telling you that you must work for $9,\u201d he said. \u201cWe say no to that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ABWU leader called for the immediate convening of the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee, which by law should meet every two years to review economic trends and propose adjustments. \u201cThis government is not interested in seeing that you can have a good life, that you can earn a decent wage,\u201d Massiah said.<\/p>

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He also criticised government ministers for what he called \u201cempty gestures,\u201d insisting that measures like paternity leave, while welcome, are not enough. \u201cWe don\u2019t want five days anymore. We want ten,\u201d he said, referencing the push for extended paternity leave provisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among other proposals, Massiah demanded the creation of a Severance Protection Fund, the amendment of the Labour Code, the establishment of a national health and safety policy, and the formation of a tripartite committee involving government, employers, and unions to jointly assess the country’s economic challenges.<\/p>

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He accused the current administration of abandoning workers\u2019 interests. \u201cWe need a government that is ready to do right by the people,\u201d he said, urging marchers to continue demanding justice beyond the day\u2019s rally.<\/p>

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As the crowd prepared to march through the streets of St John’s, Massiah declared: \u201cTell them to stop squeezing you\u2026 We are seeking a minimum wage that can help you do all you can for your children, without having to beg.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ABWU Demands $13.50 Minimum Wage Amid Soaring Living Costs Senator David Massiah used his Labour Day address to demand an increase in the national minimum wage to $13.50 per hour, citing spiralling inflation and the economic strain on working-class families. The General Secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers\u2019 Union (ABWU), Senator David Massiah, delivered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":235721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-235720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nABWU Demands $13.50 Minimum Wage - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/abwu-demands-13-50-minimum-wage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ABWU Demands $13.50 Minimum Wage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ABWU Demands $13.50 Minimum Wage Amid Soaring Living Costs Senator David Massiah used his Labour Day address to demand an increase in the national minimum wage to $13.50 per hour, citing spiralling inflation and the economic strain on working-class families. 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