Minimum
wage workers are struggling to make ends meet even after the third minimum wage
increase in the past year.
Island
workers making minimum wage will now make $10 an hour up from the previous
$9.60.
Government
announced in February 2011 the minimum wage would increase in stages and be
complete by April 1, 2012.
Alanna
Young, a first-year Arts student at UPEI, works as a receptionist at the Spa
Total Fitness Centre in Charlottetown. She said the increase is nice but it still will
not make much of a difference.
“It’s
nice to have an increase. It gives a brighter look for the future but at the
same time the 30 cents an hour won’t make that much of a difference for me.”
Young
said she would like to see the government try and do a little more for
university students.
“I
know they give a us scholarships, but it isn’t enough. If they could do a
little more for us it would be great.”
Matt
MacEachern of Stratford said with the recent increase in minimum wage and the
cost of everything going up he doesn’t know if his company M&M Lawn Care
will be able to keep the same number of staff on.
“The
price of everything is going up, and now the increase in pay for my workers, I
just don’t know if I’ll be able to keep everyone around.”
An
increase in gas prices also means MacEachern will have to increase his prices
for the grass-cutting aspect of his business.
“I’ll
have to up my prices a little bit and just hope I can keep my customers from
last year, and maybe add a few new contracts.”
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