‘Some businesses feel workers should just be glad they have a job’- Cromwell Smith
“I think the emphasis seems to me to be on the cost of doing business in the territory, and not as much the cost of living in the territory, and that’s a concern that I have,” Mr Smith stated on Umoja aired on ZBVI 780 AM on March 18, 2024.
The topic at the time was Minimum Wage & Quality of Life and included co-host Shaina M. Smith-Archer and Policy Analyst II in the Ministry of Financial Services, Trade and Labour Dr Dawn Alexander-Joseph.
“Because you see workers struggling to make ends meet, struggling to support their families, but then you see businesses making profits that allows them to have an excellent quality of life, an above average quality of life…buying some of the most expensive things and going on the most expensive vacations and have this quality of life that workers only marvel at, could dream about,” Mr Smith continued.
‘Balance’ needed
The talk show host said he understands that an investment has been made but he gets the feeling that businesses feel workers should be glad that they have a job and so they don’t pay them more even when they can afford to.
Mr Smith said perhaps that thinking needs to “even out”, as workers are important too and they have responsibilities as well.
Mrs Smith, who is also the Chairperson of the BVI Chamber of Commerce, said while she agrees there should be a “balance”, she said sometimes businesses are unfairly referred to as a non-human entity but they have owners and businesses sometimes have to take risks.
She also agreed there may be cases where employers are abusing employees, meaning they are taking advantage of them when they can afford to pay more but are not because they are maximising profits.
“But I can’t allow persons to feel that is a generalisation across the board and that all businesses behave like that, because during the pandemic there were a lot of businesses that could not afford to keep their employees but because they understood that if they sent them home they would have no income whatsoever.”
It was announced in November 2023, that the Ministry of Financial Services, Labour and Trade had established an ad hoc advisory committee to review the minimum wage in the Virgin Islands and report by the end of March 2024.
The minimum wage in the Virgin Islands was last increased on October 1, 2016, from $4.00 per hour to $6.00 per hour.
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28 Responses to “‘Some businesses feel workers should just be glad they have a job’- Cromwell Smith”
If you learn to be true to self close the businesses if you find you can't continue and stop conning your employees who are suffering under your hands. You to prideful don't want people to see you had to close the business so ashamed. Family or friend or who ever working for you needs money to survive stop being selfish. Leave people alone if you cant afford to hire people and stop creating fake jobs to get people into the territory. What is the real motive behind some of these businesses bringing in workers or using the locals should be the real question. You broke shut shop simple stop faking it.
But, with all of you so, Ed Ju Enka, and the others, who seemingly have blocked the passages of such an increase, it cannot happen!
That this discussion continues, ad nauseum, WITHOUT ACTION, says to me, that there is no real plan to implement such changes!
It is bordering now, on feel good legislation, feel good discussions, to garner votes!
TIME FOR ACTION, legislators!
TIME FOR ACTION!
NOW IMAGINE THIS, THE OWNER FOR B*******Y HAD A YOUNG MAN WORKING FOR HIM AT NANNY CAY BOAT YARD FOR THE PAST FIVE (5) YEARS ON HOLIDAYS AND WEEK END THINGS GOT SLOW SO GUESS WHAT HE DID FIRED THE GUY ACCUSING OF STEALING FIVE YEARS REMBER GUESS WHAT NO VACATION FOR ALL THOSE YEARS OF WORKING NO OVER TIME PAY AND STILL CANT GET PAID AFTER HE FIRED HIM THESE EMPLOYERS NEED TO HANG IN PUBLIC NO SENSE GOING TO LABOUR WASTE OF TIME