Monday, January 05, 2015
THE National Minimum Wage Advisory Commission will this month start preliminary discussions on increasing the national minimum wage, as well as minimum rates for private security personnel.
According to head of the Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Institute, Danny Roberts — a member of the commission -- the three commissioners had hoped to have a preliminary meeting in December but were unable to do so.
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| Danny Roberts, Trade Union Leader |
"We intend to address the issue this year and we expect to have our first preliminary meeting early this month," Roberts told the Jamaica Observer. The other members of the commission are Silvera Castro and Bernita Locke.
Roberts said that he has an issue with the coverage that the Minimum Wage Order provides for persons who earn low wages and he wants the Government to address it by amending Section 2. He said that the provision precludes the benefit of a national minimum wage to be paid to individuals employed by Government on special employment projects or individuals employed in certain basic schools or day care centres.
"This discriminatory provision should be removed so that all categories of workers can enjoy the benefits of the national minimum wage," Roberts said.
He argued that these categories of workers fall within the definition of the most vulnerable groups in the society, and are most affected by the downturn in the economy and the conditionalities imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Agreement.
The IMF, he said, has recognised the adverse impact that the programme would have on the vulnerable social groups.more
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