People’s Party (PP) torch bearer in the May 21, 2019 tripartite elections, Joyce Banda has vowed to revise upwards the minimum wage once voted to power.

According to Banda, the current government mandated minimum wage of K25, 000 is not enough to sustain livelihoods with the high cost of living.

Banda who lost the presidency to her successor, Peter Mutharika during the 2014 elections is seeking her own five-year mandate in the highly contested polls.

“Government put K25, 000 minimum wage despite call by some quarters to have it revised upwards this is too little for one’s day to day life,” Banda said.

She added that it is on this background that she will set the minimum wage at K40, 000 which she said will help improve people’s lives.

“Prices have gone up, and this money as salary is not enough,” added Banda.

On uplifting lives of people with low income levels, Banda said she has already assembled K10 billion which she will give to the poor and the youth to start businesses.

As at March 2018, an average family of six in the urban areas requires at least K186, 648 to survive in a month, against the minimum wage at around K25 000, published figures from the Centre for Social Concern (CFSC) have shown.

Some quarters of the society including labour activists have been asking authorities to revise the minimum wage, to match the increase of prices of commodities and other services.