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By Rolynda Jonathan
Palau President Tommy Remengesau Jr. acknowledged during a recent press conference that the new minimum wage law is not perfect.
The President expressed that it took over a decade to finally raise the country’s minimum wage, a benefit for Palau’s citizens.
Although he was aware of the deficiencies of the bill, he expressed that a decision to sign the bill into law was made after considering the current high cost of living.
The law would raise the minimum wage from its current rate of $2.50 to $3.50 per hour over a period of four years. And while its not perfect, the President says it can be improved.
An editorial recently provided to the media calling the minimum wage act as the minimum impact bill sparked a response from the President’s office last week. The response suggests that people should focus on the positive aspects of the bill rather than the negative.
The minimum wage act will become effective on October 1st, increasing the minimum wage by 25 cents.