[Source: File Photo]

The national minimum wage rate will increase to four dollars per hour that will be implemented in four stages.

While delivering the 2021/2022 revised budget, Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says the rate will be increased from $2.68 to $3.01 an hour from the 1st of next month (April 1st 2022).

Sayed-Khaiyum says it will further increase to $3.34 per hour on July 1st, then to $3.67 on October 1st, and finally to $4.00 by January next year.

He adds the increase will benefit thousands of Fijians.

“These are people whom we encounter in restaurants, convenient stores and petrol stations. They maintain gardens or clean offices or they are housegirls. They do much of the work we take for granted every day. Their wages should rise with the prices of food and other essentials increase.”

He adds that following the increase in the rate, the 10 sectoral minimum wage rates will also increase.

Fiji’s first ever national minimum wage rate was introduced in 2014 for unskilled workers at 2.00 per hour. Since then, the rate has been raised twice.

First 2.32 an hour in 2015 and then 2.68 an hour in 2017.

Meanwhile, Family Care Leave and Paternity leave is now on hold.