Says two-year delay unacceptable with high inflation, increased cost of living
With high rates of inflation and increased cost of living, the Saskatchewan government should implement a $15-an-hour minimum wage immediately to make sure that workers are able to make ends meet, according to Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) president Lori Johb.
The province recently announced the base salary for workers will rise to $13 per hour starting Oct. 1, 2022, from the current $11.81 per hour, and reach $15 per hour by 2024.
“Workers shouldn’t have to wait two years for $15 an hour to be fully implemented,” she says. “At a time when so many are struggling to meet basic needs. Workers have deserved this minimum wage boost for a long time — they can’t afford to wait any longer.”
However, the bump in wages is also a “big win” for workers, and a direct result of years of lobbying, campaigning, and political pressure from the SFL and its union affiliates, says Johb.
“People shouldn’t have to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. The SFL and the provincial labour movement will keep fighting for fair wages for all workers that keep pace with the rising cost of living.”
But Restaurants Canada recently said the announcement comes at the worst time for Saskatchewan restaurants.
“Operators are already struggling to survive, grappling with increased debt from the pandemic, as well as rising costs, and menu inflation pressure, all while trying to bring back price-sensitive guests to recover and rebuild from the pandemic,” says Mark von Schellwitz, vice president for Western Canada at Restaurants Canada.
Regardless of the government's formula, minimum wage increases haven't kept up with inflation, said Andrew Stevens, a professor in the faculty of business at the University of Regina, in talking to CBC.
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"As the cost of living goes up, the purchasing power of someone's wage will go down," he said. "A pretty solid majority of people toiling at minimum wage, and even at under 15 bucks an hour, they're not teenagers; they are adults. There's a pretty sturdy number of people who are actually 35 and older."