San Juan, Aug 19 (EFE News) .- The governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, presented a bill that seeks to gradually increase the minimum amount of hourly pay that workers must receive on the island, where the cost Life increases each year and makes it increasingly difficult for many to make ends meet.
The Puerto Rican Executive reported this Thursday in a statement the presentation of the bill, after receiving the report from a multisectoral group and experts based on empirical data that support the need for an increase in the minimum wage.
The measure seeks to raise the purchasing power of the most disadvantaged social groups, unable to cope with the high cost of living in Puerto Rico with a current minimum wage of $ 7.25 an hour.
176,959 WORKERS WILL BENEFIT
176,959 workers will benefit from this increase, 21.8% of the total number of employees in Puerto Rico, according to a study carried out by the Economic Planning Program of the Planning Board.
This increase would mean a total of 225 million dollars a year for the island’s employers.
The measure presented by Pierluisi seeks to establish an automatic increase to $ 8.5 an hour by January 2022.
The bill declares the public policy of the Government of Puerto Rico to increase the minimum wage for workers so that none are below the poverty level.
“We declare the Government’s pressing objective that every person in Puerto Rico has sufficient income to cover their basic needs, ensure their continuous progress and maintain adequate standards of quality of life,” says the statement released by the governor.
