By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

TRADE Union Congress (TUC) president Obie Ferguson yesterday renewed his call to raise the national minimum wage to $350, calling the current rate of $260 unacceptable.

The Davis administration increased the minimum wage from $210 in January 2023. That was the second increase since the Ingraham administration introduced the minimum wage in 2001 at $150 per week.

Some workers said the increase did not go far enough given rising food and electricity costs. Yesterday, Mr Ferguson agreed, saying: “No matter who says $260, we say $350.”

“From 2013, they want to give you base figures over the cost of living in The Bahamas. Could you imagine $260? You got a family of four? How could you support that,” Mr Ferguson said. “These other people making millions of dollars, spending money all over the place.”

He said the $260 rate falls below the standard of living for Bahamians and urged workers not to be swayed by empty promises, adding that “those people” are not interested in improving their lives.

Labour Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said last year that the Davis administration plans to raise the minimum wage again, but she did not provide a timeline.

It remains unclear whether another increase will occur this term.