Dear Sir,

I refer to The Royal Gazette article of April 2 concerning the comments made by Rolfe Commissiong about a living wage for Bermuda, which is more often referred to as the minimum wage, to the effect that the One Bermuda Alliance borrowed from “his” proposal.

Alas, Mr Commissiong failed to give credit to the sources from which he borrowed “his” proposal.

In the apartheid era in South Africa, especially in the early part of the 20th century, the predominantly white mine owners found that their labour costs were too high.

One solution was to hire more black mineworkers who were willing to work for less pay.

The white unions were violently opposed to this and lobbied the apartheid government in Pretoria to institute a minimum (or living) wage that would remove any differential between white and black workers, even if the result was that fewer white miners would be employed.

This tactic made the employment of black mineworkers as uneconomic as employing white mineworkers, but had the benefit of the mine owners receiving the kiss of approval from the apartheid government and making peace with white miners.

The result, predictably, was that black mineworkers’ unemployment became even higher.

Similar tactics were used by the white unions in the northern United States in the mid-20th century. For example, Jacob Javits, then a senator from New York, stated in February 1966:

“I point out to senators from industrial states like my own that a minimum-wage increase would also give industry in our states some measure of protection, as we have too long suffered from the unfair competition based on substandard wages and other labour conditions in effect in certain parts of the country — primarily in the South.”

Another more famous senator, called John Kennedy, in 1957 made a similar statement.

The objectives of both was to exclude black workers.

Those who are interested in such matters may find it helpful to refer to the books The Joy of Freedom by David Henderson, pages 111 to 115, and to Race and Economics by Walter Williams, pages 46 to 53.

A more comprehensive history is in The Economics of the Colour Bar by W.H. Hutt, who was deported by the South African Government because he exposed their financial stunts. It would be reasonable, first, to expect Mr Commissiong to give credit where credit is due — namely that “his” idea of a living wage had its origins in the racial discriminatory policies of a South African union that was an enthusiastic supporter of apartheid.

Alternatively and second, it may well be that Mr Commissiong is unaware of the facts as stated earlier.

If the first, it means that Mr Commissiong is not being entirely truthful when he says that the idea is “his”, unless he wishes it to be kept secret that he endorses ideas from apartheid in South Africa.

If, however, he is unaware of the historical facts, it suggests that he has no idea of what he is speaking about. I am curious as which one it is.

ROBERT STEWART