Minimum wage increase not enough, workers need bigger raises to match skyrocketing inflation

Province must immediately increase minimum wage to $15: SFL

While the minimum wage will officially increase to $13 an hour in Saskatchewan this Saturday, workers in the province are seeing their wages eaten away by skyrocketing inflation, and the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour is calling on the government to fast track their plans and immediately increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

“While this is the first time the minimum wage has increased by more than a few cents in this province in quite some time, unfortunately, due to inflation and the rising cost of living, it does not go far enough to help minimum wage workers who are working multiple jobs and still struggling to get by,” said SFL President Lori Johb. “We are calling on the government to implement a $15 an hour minimum wage now instead of in 2024. Workers can’t afford to wait.”

Johb pointed to a report published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives earlier this year that calculated the living wage for workers at $16.23 per hour in Regina and $16.89 per hour in Saskatoon.

“Even when the minimum wage is eventually raised to $15 an hour, it still won’t be enough for workers to make ends meet in the province’s two major cities,” Johb said. “The government must raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour now, and then come up with a plan to match the minimum wage to the cost of living. Workers shouldn’t have to work multiple jobs just to be able to scrape by. Workers deserve regular, meaningful raises that will provide relief from inflation and make their lives easier.”