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Hon Skelton wants public debate on Minimum Wage Report now tabled in HoA

July 19th, 2024 | Tags: minimum wage report HOA debate Ronnie W. Skelton
Leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, Honourable Ronnie W. Skelton (AL), that he intends to bring a motion to have the details of the Minimum Wage Report fleshed out publicly. Photo: GIS/File
The Minimum Wage Report was tabled in the House of Assembly by Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour, and Trade, Honourable Lorna G. Smith, OBE, (AL). Photo: GIS/File
The Minimum Wage Report was tabled in the House of Assembly by Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour, and Trade, Honourable Lorna G. Smith, OBE, (AL). Photo: GIS/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI—The Minimum Wage Review Report, which was prepared by the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee in April 2024, was on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, tabled at the 15th Sitting of the First Session of the Fifth House of Assembly (HoA).

The document tabled by Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour, and Trade, Honourable Lorna G. Smith, OBE, (AL), was immediately met with an indication by the Leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, Honourable Ronnie W. Skelton (AL), that he intends to bring a motion to have the details fleshed out publicly.

Hon Skelton, told the Speaker of the HoA, Honourable Corine N. George-Massicote, that “I suggest that this is such an important topic, that we put it on the Order Paper at a later date, to be debated.”

This, according to Hon Skelton, is “so the public can be quite aware of all the concerns in the document.”

The minimum wage in the Virgin Islands was last increased on October 1, 2016, from $4.00 per hour to $6.00 per hour.

Cabinet met on July 9, 2024, and approved the Minimum Wage Report and also recommended the raising of the Minimum Wage to $8.50 per hour effective November 30, 2024.

Information reaching our News Centre is that the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee had actually recommended that the Minimum Wage be increased to $9.00 per hour.

8 Responses to “Hon Skelton wants public debate on Minimum Wage Report now tabled in HoA”

  • My in put. (19/07/2024, 09:45) Like (88) Dislike (0) Reply
    Tip workers. $8.00.Rest. Hotel etc.. Skill / trained, high risk workers $10.50. that includes Security officers and care takers, ...All others $9:00. To add give the low income workers Making Less that $24,000 annually an additional tax increase of $3,000.00. The workers in my company is happy with this..
  • Concerned (19/07/2024, 10:08) Like (4) Dislike (3) Reply
    Why $8.50 and not nine or ten dollars? Politicians never cease to amaze me. It's always some nonsense with them.i swear they no longer care about people once they get into positions. Tell me they don't see the prices at the supermarkets.
    I've just had it with these elected officials.
    Nevertheless, you all are going to the polls and but them right back in to do nothing or take advantage of you.
  • Native Senior Citizen of the British Virgin Islands (19/07/2024, 10:58) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    As per the Topic Issue, we know that most humans are greedy by nature, moreso they that are rich, most of them. Prices for basic needs, especially food is. A part of the hardship on some minimum wage earners are that they spend some of their meager salary carelessly. That is not to mean that they should not be paid fairly.
    Hon. Minister Ronnie Skeleton, Opposition Minister, proposal should not be accepted as is, in my opinion, but should not be totally ignored.
    The bigger problems, though, are government leaders, especially the ruling party ignorance of minimum wage earners needs and wasteful money spending, carelessly.

    Where There Is A Will, There Are Ways.

    Government leaders, especially the ruling party, business employers, minimum wage employees and the public at large should be mindful that this Topic Issue cannot be overlooked. It was for too long, and is now a huge problem.
    A compromise is needy in order to arrived at a win/win conclusion. An eight years minimum wage review should never again be allowed to happened in the BVI. VIP government: the ball ???? is in you court now.

  • Native Senior Citizen of the British Virgin Islands (19/07/2024, 11:21) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    As per the Topic Issue a public debate as proposed by the opposition leader, Minister Ronnie Skeleton on the minimum wage issue wouldn't bring business employers and employees to a win/win conclusion. Government political Leaders are also business employers, if not all, in my opinion, most of them. We employed them to manage or be steward or best interest. We expect the to do so in we all best interest, not to suggest or try to involved us in any public debate on the minimum wage Issue. They messed up, let them clean up their mess, quickly, our else...
  • delay (19/07/2024, 12:58) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Hon. Skelton, It is quite clear that you and some members ( Government and Opposition) have business interests. As such, it is highly unlikely you will favor this bill. Let's debate it and have it lowered. Let's debate and delay it


  • fish (19/07/2024, 13:38) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Still not enough for the working poor
  • jack@$$ (19/07/2024, 14:00) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Although there is obvious sense in a having a wage scale, what would prevent people from avoiding the lower end wage jobs to only apply for the higher end 'low wage' jobs? It may create an imbalance in employment and unemployment. So I can see why it would be better off as a flat minimum wage rate.

    And to the question of why not $10. The reaction to that would cause ridiculously higher inflation than we already have. Remember people are in business to make money, and what a large firm can swallow as a loss, a small business cannot and may go out of business, resulting in less economic opportunity for everyone. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction aka cause and effect.
  • Herbs Powa (19/07/2024, 15:22) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Need a public debate on those supermarket prices first. YOU DOES SHOP?


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