“The people expected an austerity and ‘belted’ budget. He was entitled to a correct and non-provoking budget. The whole Mauritian class is found somewhere in the budget”.
This is what Haniff Peerun, president of the Mauritius Labor Congress (MLC) said at a press conference on Tuesday on the 2021-2022 budget. He welcomed several measures taken in the budget. He was to cite, for example, the increase in the Bad Weather Allowance from Rs 425 to Rs 475 or the reimbursement of up to 5% on an acquired and again, the maximum reimbursement of Rs 500,000 of the cost of the construction of a House. He also mentioned the possibility of seeking treatment abroad for those whose income does not exceed Rs 100,000.
The president of the MLC wants the government to fix the price of land for a better evaluation. He said he appreciated the government’s commitment to release the Pay Research Bureau (PRB) report this year. At the same time, he wants the National Remuneration Board (NRB) to review the conditions of service of workers in the private sector. He also finds that certain measures announced in the budget are not new. He was to cite, for example, the construction of the college of civil servants and the allocation of a sum of Rs 25,000 per tonne of sugar to planters etc.
The MLC president says he sees the 2021-2022 budget being presented at a time when the country’s economy is sluggish. The government had to draw on its reserves to prevent workers in the country from being made redundant thanks to the Wage Assistance Scheme and Self-Employed Assistance Scheme. This financial assistance will be granted to workers until next September, he concluded.
