The leader of the Manx Labour Party has criticised the way Tynwald u-turned on the minimum wage increase.
Joney Faragher spoke after Tynwald voted to cut a planned rise from £13.56 to £12.86 per hour yesterday, reversing its own earlier decision.
Ms Faragher outlined how a government commitment to align the minimum wage with the living wage by 2025 was dropped, first in favour of a formula and then after further business lobbying.
“Businesses are entitled to represent their interests, and I respect their engagement,” she said. “What concerns many of us is that we have heard nothing from the workers who rely on the minimum wage. If this is a listening government, it matters who’s being listened to.”
She noted the island’s rate will fall behind Jersey and Guernsey from April 2026 and onto a par with the UK.
“Other jurisdictions have recognised recent cost-of-living pressures with sharper increases. It is minimum-wage workers who have felt those pressures most,” the Douglas East MHK said.
The Chief Minister has said the revised figure remained a “significant increase” and provides certainty for businesses.