The salary compensation of Rs 500 for those earning Rs 13,000 and Rs 400 for salaries above Rs 13,000 is not enough, according to the various trade unionists who participated in the tripartite meeting on Thursday, December 9.
The trade unionists rely on what they consider to be the loss of purchasing power in the wake of a wave of price increases for basic commodities. According to Radhakrishna Sadien, President of the State and Other Employees Federation, workers and residents have experienced a drastic decline in their purchasing power. Moreover, he adds that with the pandemic raging, Mauritians have had to face additional expenses. The government, argues Radhakrishna Sadien, could have made more efforts on salary compensation. According to him, the state must put in place additional measures to further relieve the population.
Atma Shanto, of the United Federation of Workers, said the amount of compensation is “not enough as a catch-up proposal in this Covid 19-dominated time. It seems that it has not been taken into account.”
Haniff Peerun, President of the Mauritius Labour Congress (MLC) agrees. According to him, the private sector could have agreed to give a decent increase so that the employees can live as they deserve.
For Clency Bibi, the proposal of Rs 1,160 as compensation is not exaggerated, because the cost of the household basket has increased drastically.
The economic situation is certainly difficult, he said. But the government could have made an effort because the cost of living has risen and it is the workers who pay the costs of Covid-19, he denounced.
