Government Announces the Setting Up of Wages Commission |
Contact:
John Emmanuel
Wednesday, May
30, 2001
- The Ministry of
Legal Affairs, Home Affairs and Labour is spearheading efforts towards
eradicating the exploitation of certain categories of workers with the
introduction of a Minimum Wages Commission for St. Lucia.
Speaking at a news
conference on Wednesday, Labour Minister the Honourable Velon John said the
seven member commission chaired by agriculturalist David Demacque, will be
mainly charged with the responsibility of recommending minimum wages and other
terms and conditions of service, in areas or sectors where there are no
regulatory mechanisms.
He noted that in
calculating a minimum wage, issues such as the general level of wages on the
island, the cost of living, contributions payable and benefits provided under
the NIS system and other relevant economic factors must first be considered.
The commission was
appointed in September last year and has begun a series of exploratory talks
with representatives of organized groups of workers, like trade unions, the
Chamber of Commerce and Employers Federation as a means of data collection in
order to carry out its mandate. Commission Chairman David Demacque says
stakeholders have been responding favourably to the setting up of the
commission.
Wednesday’s press conference was held to introduce the commission to the media and the public. |
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