Rivers rejects wage motion
(CNS): The employment minister made it abundantly clear Wednesday that government will not be introducing a minimum wage anytime soon when she rejected the private member’s motion filed by the independent member for North Side. Although Tara Rivers spoke about starting the required research and forming a committee, she raised a catalogue of objections to the principle and posed a massive number of questions to justify the need for analysis and research before considering the implementation of even a $5 staring point, as suggested by Ezzard Miller. In complete contrast to the PPM manifesto, which calls for its implementation as an ‘early priority’, Rivers will be taking her time.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly debate on a motion to introduce a minimum wage brought by Ezzard Miller, the minister who has responsibility for education, labour and gender affairs found just a few beneficial things about a minimum wage against a long, long list of fears that have been put forward by opponents of the principle for many years.
From inflation to jobs losses, the problems of domestic helpers and how to deal with tips were just a few objections Rivers raised, as she read a speech in the LA about why government was not accepting the motion. Albeit that it had plans to implement a minimum wage regime, the minister seemed less than keen. Most of what she said related to long held objections of those on the political right and those who believe only the market should decide pay.
She did say that it could help protect the worst exploited people and perhaps improve the gender pay gap, but as quickly as the labour minister mentioned possible benefits Rivers returned to the well-aired fears associated with the issue mostly by employers. She said small businesses could close down, jobs would be lost, inflation would be rampant, with milk increasing by some two dollars a gallon overnight, she believed, as well as the inability of government to enforce it, given its failure regarding pensions and insurance. She also pointed to single parents who would no longerbe able to afford a helper.
Although she said the ministry had started work on collecting the research and analysis and had set up a committee, as suggested under the labour law, Rivers’ road to a minimum wage, if she is to recommend one at all, is long, in direct conflict with government’s promises.
Rivers, who campaigned on the C4C ticket and not the PPM, is not burdened with an election promise in this regard, as that advocacy group does not support a minimum wage and Rivers herself made no commitment to implementing one on the campaign trail.
The Progressives, on the other hand, spoke often of the need to introduce a minimum wage on the hustings. The premier himself has regularly pointed to his regret that he was unable to persuade the Chamber of Commerce and other special interest groups to support the idea when he was labour minister between 2005 and 2009. In the Progressives' manifesto, released ahead of the general election in May last year, the party lists the introduction of a basic wage below which no one should be expected to work, not just as a priority but an early one.
Talking about creating jobs, the party said, “We will … implement a minimum wage as an early priority”. Nevertheless their minister for labour appears to have a very different view of “early priority” as she spoke about the myriad issues she believes have to be examined, analysed and discussed before she would entertain the concept.
In support of the motion, Arden McLean said that Ezzard Miller had approached the issue with a simple goal to prevent the abuse of workers and the continuing proliferation of cheap foreign exploited labour that is having a direct impact on local unemployment.
Striving to ensure that no worker anywhere in any circumstances working in the Cayman Islands should fall below the hourly rate of $5 as a starting point, which could be adjusted at a later date, he said it was time to stop talking about it and for the House to demonstrate it had the political will to help the country’s most vulnerable. After twenty years of talking about it, Miller said he hoped the government would take the first step.
However, the motion was greeted with an outright rejection, as Rivers said it was presented in a vacuum with no facts and figures and was merely an opinion like many expressed by “arm chair economists”, who said government should bring in a basic wage without any data to support the notion.
Check back to CNS later for Miller's response to the debate and see Rivers' full statement below.
Category: Politics
Seriously, i think you guys are coming down on Minister Rivers way too hard. I havent always supported everything she says or does however, onthis topic i do. And dont get me wrong i am an 'independents' fan. Arden and Ezzard both rock in my books. If i could mark my X next to their names, i would. But, a minimum wage is not going to help us. In an already expensive country, implementing a minimum wage will only drive prices up higher. We're fooling ourselves if we think that employers will simply absorb the cost and accept loss profits. Not going to happen. Employees are going to suffer via cut hours and we the consumer will be made to pay more for goods and services. Trust me either way it isnt going to be good for the economy. Please let us do proper research and look at other ways of improving the situation. We have to look at the cost of living in Cayman its way too high. We have to look at making our people employable. Teach a man to fish! We have much to do, but a minimum wage just isnt it…not right now atleast.
Totally useless! What were Bayers thinking when they elected her? She is not for the ppl and she should be docked a month's pay if she cannot make herself present to cast a vote in the LA. Truly shameful!
I really thought she would be the "change agent" for West Bay..didn't think it would be this kind of change though..
Funny how when things change they somehow stay the same…
She had such great promise and support from her people in West Bay…She just lost this supporter. She might as well find herself a red or green dress to wear because either would suit her at this point.
I really thought that she would have been good for the whole Island with her eduication. After reading that she declined on min wage bill , and letting LIME , ERRICSONS deal go how it did . It looks like she has burnt out all of her common sences getting her eduication . The deal that LIME had live with for all these many years were made in the 1960s by uneduicated MLA members with good common sence that looked after the people that voted them in. Good luck with your next election.
You carn earn $100,000 a year while you study. Find out more at http://www.tarariversandtheuniversityofallenandovery.com.
Minimum wage in England is £6.31 so Cayman Islands minimum wage should be $8.63 as Cayman is said to be a tax haven but the price of living in Cayman is just as expensive in England and is said to be under the British so why not keep it real.
Another useless one term politician…
No political will and the people continue to suffer! Why I am not surprised by Mr. Rivers' comments, because she's been held by political gunpoint and has to tow her party line.
A simpler explanation is that she is spineless and ineffective.
The local business people are going to ignore any requirement to pay minimum wage just like they have ignored the requirement to pay pension and health care. We don't like to be forced to do anything.
follow me now, no Caymanian will work for low wages so the only way to make it attractive for employers to pay Caymanians more is you have to make the low wage receivers more expensive to employ if they are foreigners,
so the solution is raise work permit fees for low wage work till it makes financial sense for employers to pay The Caymanian worker more,
Fixed! No new goverment regulations required.
Tara, she makes Captain Eugene look like a useful politician.
Another one term politican…that is unless Alden gets enough of her and kicks her out before then..seems like all of the C4C candidates should start wearing red ties…
Boy West Bay really messed up on this one…
I did not read the article – but just looked at her photo and imagined what she was saying:
I really-really was not working in England, just studying – and I encourage you to take what I am saying with a few grains of salt…
Minister Rivers if not to minimum wage, then can you lower the cost of living? Poor people paying for stuff so that the rich can enjoy. What we need is a Robin Hood in cayman. Maybe just then they will understand how much we suffering from all this BS and polytricking.
The math is simple, people with money control the island, people with money have helpers, people with money got it by being tight with it, people with money don't want to give it up, people with money influence the goverment, people with money always win..
She stands up and says what she's told to say. Not an original thought in her head. May as well put a tape recorder up there and let her lip synch.
Not a clue as to the real needs of people. But certainly has listened to special interests. Committee indeed. What a bunch of b.s.
I listened to the diatribe presented by Miss Rivers and I was so shocked I coildn't even turn off the radio!
I hope she enjoys her first term as an MLA/Minister of Cabinet – I think it will be her only term.
The PPM has a way of complicating everything and thinking that their word game will fool the public. A minimum wage is not a new thing and we will certainly not go down in history as the authors of it. It's simple – there is a minimum amount that a person or family can maintain a decent standard of life. However there are those who believe that as long as "I, and mine have enough" to hell with the rest of the people. I am so disappointed in Tara – I kind of thought she would fight for the people, especially those who voted for her with the hope that se would go to bat for them.
First of all I think it is about equality… And that is something you do not see a lot in Cayman. Perhaps time to work on that?
And If I can use my imagination, a minimum “Reasonable” wage may help with the unemployment rate among locals as a lot of them will be able to take on jobs that foreigners are now doing for rates that at times could be outrageous. Therefore having more Caymanians employed, the demand for foreign workers may be lower, there would be more disposable income, and most importantly with that domestic money supply most of the money stays within the country, by consequence milk prices will actually go down.
Just Saying!!!
She is not a woman of the people. She is a politician and proving to be as tricky as they come. Shame.
She's not a woman for women either – no sympathy and little knowledge of women's issues.
Tara is certainly gonna be a one hit wonder.
Another committee!!! There are jobs for everyone on committee to talk about doing stuff…not actually doing stuff!
PPM has always been a WTF party, UDP has always been a LMFAO party especially with Mac as the leader and C4C is just a SMDH party.
C'mon, its just SSDD!
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/11/11/the-minimum-wage-debate-whos-right/
No to minimum wage (foreced by Govt) but YES to moral minimum wage.
A particularly worrying thing that some people think that this could be possible..a minimum is a minimum..moral is only as good as the law that enforces it..if there is no law, it is not a minimum wage full stop.
"…thecontinuing proliferation of cheap foreign exploited labour…
The key words in the quote above are `"cheap" and "exploited".
Local employers like these words because it puts more money in their pockets and gives them absolute control over their indentured slaves; when an indentured slave complains the employer can pull the work permit and the indentured slave is off-island in a matter of days.
Before a minimum wage law can be enacted (and more importantly, enforced) Cayman must look at its immigration and work permit laws.
I applaude you Mrs. Rivers!
Even the insane can work computers nowadays.
Rivers is simply an epic fail. Please shuffle her out of Cabinet!
I must say that I was amazed at the debate given by the Labour Minister. There was no credible substance nor was there any imperical data provided to substantiate the governments decision to not support this important piece of legislation. I am an employer as well as an employee and I cannot fathom on what basis, or what criteria was used to reject the motion. The rebuttal seemed to stem from self interest groups, whoever they be. I am sorry to have to say this, BUT if this government does not take the unemployment issue seriously, there is going to be a uprising never before seen in this small country. While positive, the 169 +/- jobs that have been sourced through the NWDA is a drop In the bucket when we have over 2000 people registered. So the premier, minister, ministry and NWDA should not be quick to claim success. The 169 is certainly a good move forward but it is NOT a success story for this otherwise failing entity we know as the NWDA. Kudos to Ezzard for having the cojones to bring the motion yet again and well done to those who supported him. Alden, Tara and the Progressive government, your honeymoon is over so put away the linen towels, wine and champagne and start making inroads into your campaign promises cause 4 years does not take long to come……just look at the calendar, you have already almost exhausted a year with no real or tangible success thus far.
it is not difficult to see some of the problems with a minimum wage limit.
Overnight company costs will increase adn where will this money come from, but customers.
So for a local supermarket, the cost of business increases from its already epic proportions. The company is forced to cut employees or increase prices on goods. The later will lead to inflation as the cost of living increases. All of a sudden the minimum wage is now too low to live on and must be increased again.
You could try and argue higher wages will lead to more money workers are spending in the economy, but:
1) higher demand leads to higher prices (more inflation)
2) Most of the low paid wages that are affected by a minimum wage are expats and paid to little to be able to bringtheir families to the island, so they will continue living in crowded accommodation to save money to send home, so they can feed their families they are rarely able to see.
Ehhhh! Wrong but thanks for playing. More demand more product more availability less $$.
except there is no more product, just more demand.
let's take an example an original Van Gogh is desired by many, so you are saying the more people that want it the cheaper it will go for at auction
ok…..
More examples, when everyone tried to book Cayman airways off the island when Paloma hit, did the prices go up or down from normal, yep up, up, up
After Ivan when there were few apartments and loads of demand, I seem to remember the rents going up close to 50%, not going down. maybe your memory is a bit foggy
The local supermarkets pay more than CI$5.00 per hour so your statement is not relevant and a minimum wage of CI$5 .00 would not increase the cost of food. The enactment of a minimum wage just ensures that no one gets paid any less than that and if anyone is being paiid less per hour than that then it is criminal.
The fast food restaurants are a classic example though, also many others in the hospitality industry are paid less than $5.00. It is inflationary any way you try to twist it.
anon 1508 so lets get this right.
If you have money to own a company you then have the right to hire people and pay them below n ormal living standards.
I guess then you were a big supporter of slavery as the money peopledid not have to pay for labour. While there are differences it still works out to the same thing.
Well said. PPM thus far is an epic failure.
You have got it completely turned around. Surely you mean there as no credible substance nor was there any imperical data provided to substantiate this motion. The whole point that Tara wasmaking is that "credible substance and imperical data" is needed before one could support such a motion.
Well, now we all know why the sky is blue LOL
What a load of BS .Miss Rivers knows better. She has gone with the chamber of commerce. You cannot tell me that domestic helpers would make $5 per hour if it was written in stone. All the employers would just make their employees sign that if they want the job they would sign for less. On the other hand those that are work permit holders of domestic helpers are from third world countries.
We are talking about caymanians who have children here going to school and paying for mortgages. They are being paid ridiculous salaries . Milk is not going to go up by $2 that is total rubbish. I had thought you to be for the caymanian people and you are not. I hope they vote you out. It is time that people working in this island get a decent salary. Based on cost of living it should be $15 per hour to flip a hamburger. Instead they make $4 per hour and not 40 hour work week. All over this island there are too many businesses providing the same service and are only in business because of indecent wages. Its time that some of these businesses close. Recently on 7 mile beach everyone is now selling sushi. Its crazy , whatever is going good for a business another business copies. We don't need 60 plus beauty parlours or over 300 restaurants etc etc. Thats the real problem in Cayman.
We are now 100% occupied till May1st. Why are employees not making 40 hour weeks in hotels?,Rest? and other tourist related businesses? If we bring more people by air where will they stay? Prices are allready too high anyone can see that at any bar or rest.
What is the reason for one to pay such high food and drink prices ? Go to the beach and see who is drinking and eating at these establishments then maybe you will understand or just ask the staff.
Right. ^^ But what are you going to do about it? Everyone has the power to be the change they wish to seein the world. So are you going to sit by and let this fall by the wayside or are you going to do something that sends a clear and direct message that says, "We are not going to tolerate this in Cayman!" These are our brothers, sisters, children and parents. Yes, there are over 300 restaurants in Cayman and countless other repeat/copy businesses. There is a list out there of the redundancies. This begs the questions: How and Why? Everyone is selling sushi… interesting choice of example. Well, that means that loyalty to good service and food should win out but probably not so people will have to get creative so that their sushi is the one people crave.
It seems like a constant race to do everything and hide everything, with nobody really putting on the table what they are really doing, thinking or coming together for the greater good. Everybody out for themselves. You should be the person who opens a cafe and gelatostand that pays the staff accordingly. You should be the person who sees or hears something and does something about it. If everyone sits quiet, all is good. If someone speaks out, words are at least heard (hopefully) and open discussion begins.
CNS are the best at reminding us of facts and promises made. I applaud this editor for showing the true light of party politricks! Sit back Mr Bush and enjoy the crumbling of this so called coalition government. This is gearing up to be another play ground of egos, know it alls and chatterboxes! Marco and Franz are so far the only ones I see as my leaders. Values and respect are far more important than education and they certainly have all three. Great role models for our society today.
God forbid the helpers & others should be paid an actual wage.
Minimum Wage is what people decide it is – and some people are disgraceful about their interpretation of what that should be. Appalling stories abound. Even service club members were involved.
Quite simply, Rivers has to go. She has been totally ineffective as Labour Minister. Can anyone name one thing she has accomplished or is even planning to do?
Aw, come on! You say she has to go……. She already has. Don't you remember the trip to England? And Africa?
She went on an expensive trip that acheived nothing.
Hold on, don't be quick to judge, let me think. Erm no, I can't recall her doing anything.
The tail is wagging the dog or a bunch of mla's are liars on support fo minimum wage and smc's
Either way Rivers is not my best friend.
Just listened to the replay broadcast. I have to say that prior to this point Tara was the most dissappointing Minister in my books. But listening to her b!+ch slap Ezzard all over the assembly floor has made me reconsider my initial impression, Ezzard, as he admitted, brought to the floor a 20 year old bill which essentially states that there needs to be a minimum wage and it should be $5 with not much done to the proposal in the 20 years. My girl Tara, then went on a careful, well researched and deliberate delivery of the government's position for not accepting the proposal that can only be compared to that of a seasoned politician. I had to wonder who was the old guy/gal on the block and who was the newbee. Very well done Tara. Now follow up with an approporate regime as you have suggested … soon!
Tara, you try living on $4 an hour wages for a week or two
Tara Rivers doesn't understand the economics of a minimum wage.
When lower incomes go up, there will be more available income. Actually the price of milk will go down, based on higher sales volume.
I am sure she knows that, but she is not respresenting the avarage caymanian. She is controlled by c4c business owners.
The premier has an oppertunity to fix this.
This is an insult to the people of the Cayman Islands.
The price of milk come down? Surely you jest!
wow, when all economists agree greater demand increases price
add this to the cost of business increasing adding to an increase in price to cover the extra expenses
too funny
Not sure you understand basic economics either!
Whilst I agree the $2 increase figure seems completely unsupported, there is no obvious reason that the price would go down, either. Its more likely to rise – more demand and the same (at least initially ) supply, and the costs of operating the supermarkets will have increased. However you cannot be sure without considering a whole variety of factors ranging from the marginal propensity to spend (and on milk at that) to the relative fixed costs in providing milk.
I am afraid that neither you or Ms Rivers appears to really understand the complexities. Might be better simply to say she has no basis for her assumption than replace it with an equally fatuous one of your own.
????? when wages go up, the price of milk will go down… are you @#$@#@ dumb, the price of items will go up.. not down.
Forthose of you who dontthink you ca live off less than $5 perhr, take a look at expats that are doing it right now, they share rental units, use a fan in stad of AC, yes it is hard but lets be honest NO Caymanian will work for $5, maybe $8-$10 yes @ $12..we hav a life stlye we dont ntto give up on.. drive a second hand car forget that. I must have all he westar channels and the fastest internet and the best/newest phones..
oh, i am uneployed not collecting not Government, workin odd jobs for what ican get… lifes hard but i still live in my hme country in the caribbean. way better than most ther places in the world!!!
What you need to take into consideration is that the live inhelpers especially can afford to live on a small salary as they eat on their job and there is no utility bill to pay. So all of their money can be sent back to their homeland where the exchange is so much.
That's what you get when big business is financing politicians campagnes. Now they control the politicians.
They always did. That's why they make contributions in the first place.
Disgusting, keeping the cayman islands 80 years behind on the rest of the world.
Small business is doing fine, don't let the politicians fool you. . . . .
Maybe Tara should try a few months to live from 5$ an hour.
I do not know who wrote this report -and I disagree entirely with Tara Rivers' Fox News arguments – but from the point of view of some semblance of balanced reporting, this really sounds like a left wing UK Guardian diatribe and I think we deserve more neutral reporting. If CNS has passions about this, put them in a commentary.
Will get the ES award…….. in 2017 That is ellio bye bye
It's a national disgrace that no minimum wage law exists. The old argument about businesses closing down is ridiculous and has no basis in fact. On the other hand, there is lots of evidence that the establishment of a decent minimum wage helps reduce poverty and reliance on social assistance. But with many business owners in Cayman used to the old system of exploiting their workers, not providing benefits and even resorting to illegal means to pad their own bank accounts it's not unexpected that resistance to this measure is strong.
I HOPE NO ONE IS SURPRISED
At the attitude of TARA she is arrogant and will not listen to anyone, she will continue to be her old self. It is so sad that the voters in West Bay elected Tara but I am confident she will be a one timer.
Tara, I mean this with the utmost respect but WTF have you been doing all this time?
for once ..tara is 100% right……
She was the delivery girl for the PPM's response to the bill. She doesn't have an original thought in her head!
Disgusting yet unsurprising. As a former member of the hospitality force in Cayman, it may be of interest to the powers that be the way not having a minimum wage is looked upon by the world. I will tell you: Not well. To the point where it is that some people members of the work force tell guests to Cayman quite loudly and adamantly that there is not a minimum wage in place and visitors are so turned off by this news that they say they will not return to Cayman. Tales, too many, of being luredto Cayman under one pretense only to find quite another when they arrive as helpers or in the hospitality industry are rampant. The jobs that Caymanians will not take because the pay is so bad and the hours so long.
As far as, "Single parents who could no longer afford a helper." Let it not be lost on the reading audience that it is only Caymanians who are able to pull a work permit for helpers. Also, let it be shown that in many other places in the world, people get by without helpers or by paying their helper a minimum wage by budgetting accordingly.
A very sad state of affairs in the Cayman Islands. XXXX
Wake up Cayman! These are your fellow human beings. Fight for them! They could be your brother, sister, child or parent.
If there was a minimum wage then the single parents could afford to pay their helpers more. The Cayman Islands doesn't have many options for child care and before you say don't have children then remember there won;t be any jobs for domestics at all then. Eventually, all the old people will die and there will be no young Caymaians to replace them. As it is, I would say that 80% of the population is foreigners. Little Cayman is 99.9% and Cayman Brac is at about 90% especially once the old people die off and they are dying rapidly.
The minimum wage works both ways. The single parent and the dometic helper would both be entitled to that same wage. Meanwhile, are you saying that it is the civic duty of Caymanians to have babies, then hire helpers (as their right) to keep the Cayman blood line going? This takes "Caymanian Entitlement" to a whole new level. Way to go. Remeber Cayman, it takes a village to raise a child. Nobody will look out for your children they way family and friends would. It really speaks to a much bigger problem. Anyways, how about focus on your point of Cayman does not have many options for child care and do something about that problem.
You really can twist people's words but I figure that whatever argument I put would have been twisted so I tried to cover a few. I don't think that Caymanians should have children to hire helpers; I'm just saying that I know that people will say to not have children and my point is then wwe will have a bunch of new problems like no Caymanians left because everyone has died off.
Any yes, there is a bigger problem but there's nothing I can do about it. What do you propose I do about child care? I can't afford to build a child care facility. And the " it takes a village to raise a child" is gone. Everybody is out trying to earn a living. In my case, my family and friends are all dead or left the Cayman Islands. I'm considering leaving the Cayman Islands too because it's just getting worse.
This is the options that I see: minimum wage or community tax.
Another broken promise to voters by the ppm.
Tara Rivers is the Minister for Labor but this is a PPM government with five ppm members in Exco. Premier Alden McLaughlin, Deputy Moses Kirkonnell, Kirk Tibbetts, Marco Archer, Wayne Panton, Osborn Bodden are the majority in Exco with control who have agreed to support her and vote against the minimum wage motion that they promised on the campaign trail. PPM fooled us again!
What does Tara know about this? She was paid the salary of a high flying lawyer in London when she was only studying there.
About time one of the independents started thinking and acting independenty. Hopefully others will follow.
Hear ye, hear ye. Mr/Ms. Same-Old has returned. Hello there! Nothing to see here folks, move along, move along now. Next in line, please?
Get real. CIG already can't enforce the medical insurance and pension laws so how the heck could a minimum wage be made to work?
This is where a workers' alliance group would come into play.
It's easy for Rivers to reject it. She's not the one earning less than $5 per hour, right? Bet she would change her mind if she weren't so highly educated. Just saying
Chamber got to her…?
There is probably a conference or two to travel to so she can research the issue.
Rivers rejects whatever she is told to reject. She has NO credibility. Sorry Tara, time to go back to the Magic Circle. You know, the place where you WORKED (while studying) before you became the most ineffective MLA in the history of the Cayman Islands. Seriously, Captain Eugene has done more than you. I was at the first public conference that you gave and even found myself believing the hype (whilst eating the free sandwiches). Alas, all we have been given is hype. I hope that the backing behind you is transferred to a candidate that will support real change. I am desperately sorry to have to say these words, but I cannot see any form of dynamic presence coming from you in regards to supporting the needs of the/your/our Caymanian people. Good luck.
Wow! That was a huge slap in the face to Tara when you said Captain Eugene was more effective and essentially, more productive than she has been. lmao
Tara Rivers is a big JOKE. Let's see if she can live on $5 an hour!!!!! From the beginning when all the issues was raised and challenged about whether or not she could hold office in CI Government, I said then and I still say today, Tara will become big trouble and a joker for the CI Government and the people of Cayman Islands.
Hold on, this is just the beginning of the troubles yet to come. Tara is big trouble. Alden and the PPM needs to kick her out of the Ministry. And we Caymanians need to make she she is a ONE TIMER TO ELECTED OFFICE. Since she holds a USA Passport let's send her to the USA.!!!
Tara is just following her PPM bosses wishes.
PPM is a party of pretenders. In almost every way they are as bad as UDP . UDP was a rogue party and we could tell they were rogues. PPM on the other hand is a snake in the grass. Full of deception. Say one thing -mean the other etc. Cayman's deterorating economic situation , collapsing small business and crime will take care of PPM's lies. Hope both PPM and UDP are done for good come 2017.
Great. Yet another PPM committee. How much will this one cost?
Seems like the PPM is going down the list in thier manifesto one item and a time and about facing on them..