by Linda Straker
- Employment Act mandates review of minimum wage schedule at least once every 3 years
- Legal Affairs Minister Claudette Joseph met with Committee last week Wednesday
- Dr Gilchrist is Associate Professor Department of Business and Management Studies at SGU
The Dickon Mitchell administration has appointed Dr Curlan Gilchrist, a former staffer at the Ministry of Finance, to serve as the chairman of the Wage Advisory Committee. Gilchrist is currently the Associate Dean and Director Centre for Academic Excellence, Associate Professor Department of Business and Management Studies at St George’s University (SGU)
Legal Affairs Minister Claudette Joseph met with the Committee last week Wednesday where she outlined the Committee’s mandate and the way forward. During the meeting, Joseph who is also the Attorney General, informed members that the Government remains committed to reviewing and finding a solution to the issue of minimum wage, especially within the public sector.
“We will want to become a nation where people who are still classified as poor still enjoy a decent quality of life, with a decent roof over their heads and their ability to comfortably meet their expenses,” Joseph told the Committee during the meeting.
The minimum wage currently focuses on 14 occupations of Industrial workers (garment industry); Clerical workers; Security guards; Domestic workers; Caregivers of the elderly; Workers in bakeries; Agricultural workers; Construction workers; Shop assistants; Workers in the hospitality industry; Vehicle drivers; Bus drivers and Bus conductors.
The other members of the Committee in the first instance are Justin Campbell, Brian Grimes, Phebe Brown, Trevor Xavier, George Mason, Cicely Gabriel, AnnMarie Montrose, Jenelle Viechweg, and Lyden Lewis.
The Committee has a lifespan of 3 years, and is established in accordance with section 51 of the 1999 Employment Act. It will review minimum wages in both the public and private sectors. The law mandates that there should be a review of work that falls in the minimum wage schedule by the Wages Advisory Committee at least once every 3 years with a view to updating the minimum rate of wages.
Once the Committee completes its terms of reference, any minimum wage order made becomes effective on the date on which the order is published in the Gazette or on such other date as is specified in the order.
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