MINIMUM or low wage earners in the country deserve a real wage increase, which is long overdue.
Low wage earners had been suffering for almost 16 years, which is too long under the current state of the economy, national general-secretary of the Amalgamated General Workers Union (AGWU) Andrew Kandakasi said.
Mr Kandakasi said the union had been trying for a long time to address the problem and was happy of the move taken by the Minister for Finance and Treasury Patrick Pruaitch to review the current income tax policy.
Mr Pruaitch has taken the initiative to review the current income tax regimes to ensure any pay increases for the working people of this country does not get highly taxed.
And the AGWU of PNG has welcomed this move.
“We are delighted and grateful that the minister has agreed that the country’s current minimum wage is outdated and cannot sustain our living, which the union has been arguing time and time again,” Mr Kandakasi said.
He added that it was equally important that the decision makers needed to make informed decisions rather then relying on other arguments to protect their interests
The current minimum wages are as low as K37.20 to K74.20 fortnightly, which does not meet the International Labour Office (ILO) standards.
The union urged the Finance and Treasury Minister to review the 1992 minimum wage decision, arguing that it was determined on isolation without properly taking into consideration any arguments from the stakeholders.