by Linda Straker
- Minimum daily wage is now EC$60
- No worker should be earning less than EC$1,200 per month
- Minimum Wage Order SRO 42 was gazetted in December 2023
Andre Lewis, President of the Grenada Trades Union Council is recommending that employees whose employers refuse to pay them the minimum wage as mandated should first file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour if they are not unionised. In places where they are unionised, the respective unions should be notified.
“The minimum wage recommendations became law when the order was gazetted in December. It is SRO 42 of 2023 and it provides the recommendations for minimum wage and as a result, all employers should be complying with the law which came into effect on 1 January 2024,” said Lewis.
The minimum wage currently focuses on 14 occupations. However, workers outside of these professions should also receive an increase in their salary once it’s beneath the minimum salary or wage as guided by the law.
The 14 occupations are: 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 new minimum wage order will cover an expanded category of workers to include media workers, call centre workers, helpers on construction sites and sanitisation workers,” Labour Minister Claudette Joseph told members of the Upper House while contributing to the 2024 budget debate.
She described the decision by Government to increase the minimum wage as brave and historic. “This will no doubt help in poverty eradication and help in building a resilience and stable labour market,” she told members of the House. The minimum daily wage is now EC$60. This means that no worker should be earning less than EC$1,200 per month.
Lewis said that employers need to follow the instructions in the Employment Act which states that every employer affected by a minimum wage order shall post in a conspicuous place a notice fully informing the employees of the contents of the order.
“That is for all workers to be informed about the changes and the requirement of the employer and those who violate the law should be reported to the Ministry of Labour and unions,” said Lewis.
“An employer who violates this section commits an offence and shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 3 months,” according to Section 53 of the Employment Act.
The law states that where it is found that an employer paid less than the rate of wages prescribed in a minimum wage order, the Court shall order the employer to pay to the employee or to the employees the difference between the amount which should have been paid and the amount which was paid, and interest on that amount where appropriate.
