Upsize the minimum wage

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The minimum wage is a concept that is wholly unfair because those who are shackled by it are taken advantage of by their employers. This is because their labour output far exceeds what they are paid or what they ought to be paid. Moreover, the difference between the profits made in any given financial year by any one of the local fast food giants far exceeds collectively what they pay their entire cadre frontline workers.

The minimum wage set by the government is one that, if a worker gets paid less than that amount for a 40 hour work week, it would be illegal. Unless I am mistaken I have always been under the impression that locally operated fast food restaurants pay their workers the minimum wage, or just a little over it.

Local fast food franchises should pay their entry level staff no less than J$25,500, per week for a 40 hour work week, which, is 50 per cent more than the current weekly minimum wage.

PATRICK GALLIMORE

pagalley@protonmail.com