Consumer advocate Maureen Holder has welcomed the news that a new social compact has been successfully negotiated to reduce the prices of some items on supermarket shelves, but says it does not go far enough.The Executive Director of the Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network (BCEN) has also questioned the level of ease consumers will actually get, given that their purchasing power is already reduced.“BCEN does not view the renegotiated compact as a cost-saving measure but an indirect price control measure because prices can fluctuate at any time but not beyond the cap on the mark-ups,” Holder said.“However, wages and salaries do not move in the short-term nor according to the fluctuation in prices and this is a concern because it impacts the finances and purchasing power of consumers.”
