The Ministry of Labour’s National Tripartite Committee (NTC) has agreed to $60,000 being the monthly national minimum wage and this matter is now to be taken to Cabinet.
The current national minimum wage is $44,200 and the proposed increase will constitute a 35.74% hike.
A release from the Ministry on Wednesday said that its NTC convened its first meeting for the year that day and the national minimum wage was discussed. The release said that it was “unanimously agreed that it to be moved to $60,000 GYD. With the trade unions and private sector both giving their blessings, Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton will take the recommendation to the Cabinet for deliberations”.
In November last year, Hamilton had told Stabroek News that Chief Labour Officer Dhaneshwar Deonarine had been instructed to convene a meeting of the NTC to resume discussions on the national minimum wage.
He said then that he believed that the private sector was in a better position to agree to the proposed sum of $60,000 per month. He had stated that a year ago, the private sector was resistant as it cited the negative impacts of COVID-19 on business, with which he empathised. However, with the situation changed and businesses operating as per norm, he said he believed they could afford an increase in the minimum wage.
Noting that many businesses actually pay far more than the proposed figure, the minister stressed that it was important for it to be adopted and documented.
The release said that meeting on Wednesday also included the renewal of the NTC committee with a total of 18 members, 12 of whom were retained from the former committee and six new members.
The release said that initiatives to improve the functioning of the NTC were also discussed, and Hamilton said he hopes to have a tripartite committee that deals with issues beyond wages and salary negotiations, such as occupational safety and health; equal pay for equal work; the training and retraining of both private and public sector workers, and social issues that may be affecting both private and public organizations and their employees.
Permanent Secretary, Bishram Kuppen was also present at the meeting.
