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.

“We are of the opinion and belief that such a policy would indeed promote social justice by reducing inequities in the working society and minimize the exploitation of workers, that is, workers being paid less than their marginal revenue product. Another justification for this policy is to ensure that all persons in whatever field of working endeavour would, at the very least, be paid a wage that would be reflective of the innate dignity of man by facilitating the maintenance of a basic standard of living commensurate with a workers ability and justified expectations,” said Minister John.

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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