On January 1st, minimum wage workers saw their salary go up from $3.30 an hour to $5 dollars. It was a move that worried plenty of business owners who felt that they may have to cut hours or cut staff to keep their establishments afloat.
And while we've seen the cost of security and garbage services go up, as well as some businesses making adjustments to their hours, the president of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry says it's still a bit too early to feel the effects the jump will have.
But you've heard the PM say that this move will benefit not only them but the economy on a whole. We asked BCCI's president his views on this:
But BCCI's Chief Policy Analyst, Dyon Elliott, wanted to clarify: this isn't a fight between the business community and the government. He pointed out that the six members of the Minimum Wage Taskforce which was established last year had voted unanimously to stagger the increase over a period of time, to ease businesses into it. So why did the government opt to jump to $5 in one go? That's what Elliott wants to know.
