— chief labour officer urges private sector

AS the private sector entities seek to make a profit, Chief Labour Officer (CLO), Charles Ogle, believes that employees should not be forgotten but instead be paid a living wage as opposed to a minimum wage.

On average, according to the labour laws, the minimum wage of an employee in the private sector is $44,200 monthly, $255 hourly, $2,040 daily and $10,200 weekly.
“No one in this room can live with that,” Ogle told employers and managers present at a sensitisation workshop at the Ministry of Social Protection, Department of Labour, on Thursday.

The minimum wage for private sector entities is $15,800 less than what public sector employees receive as a minimum wage.
Although the conditions are different in the sectors, Ogle said the private sector employers should move from the minimum wage and start looking at a living wage.
He reminded the participants that at one point the minimum wage of the private sector was far higher than the public sector, but because of the yearly increase in wages for public sector, the gap switched.

Ogle added that the ministry’s intention is to engage employers of every industry about the rights of employees, their obligations and the labour laws on a weekly basis.
“We want to work with and meet with stakeholders who will not only uphold the laws but also help us to identify trafficking in persons and even child labour,” said the CLO.
He believes that the partnership is necessary if they are to end illicit activities and have a professional and safe working environment.

Meanwhile, Senior Labour officer, Dexter Semple noted that the living wage, which basically means an income that is sustainable in an economy, is being discussed at a tripartite level.
Employers were encouraged to follow the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) Act, the Child Labour Act and other labour laws.