A tripartite committee comprising of the private sector, trade unions, and the government has recommended up to 50% wage increase for all employees across Dominica. Depending on the job classification, employees could earn a wage increase of 25% to 50% if the DLP administration approves the recommendation.
The committee, which was set up in 2019, submitted the recommendation to the Minister of Labour a few months back.
According to the committee, the newly proposed minimum wage is subject to review every three years. Nine job classifications exist in Dominica, but the committee added five new classifications with their proposed wage increases. The existing categories are classified along hourly and weekly payment models. They are:
- Agricultural/unskilled labour – $4.00 (old hourly rate) $5.00 (new hourly rate)
- Daily paid factory/tourism – $4.50 (old hourly rate) $6.75 (new hourly rate)
- Juveniles – $3.60 (old hourly rate) $5.40 (new hourly rate)
- Cashiers/receptionists – $5.50 (old hourly rate) $8.25 (new hourly rate)
- Sales persons/cashiers $5.50 (old hourly rate) $8.25 (new hourly rate)
- Shop assistants – $4.50 (old hourly rate) $6.75 (new hourly rate)
- Home assistants with meals – $125 (old hourly rate) $200 (new hourly rate)
- Home assistants without meals – $143.75 (old hourly rate) $215.62 (new hourly rate)
- Live-in assistants – $142.50 (old hourly rate) $213.75 (new hourly rate)
The five new job classifications are:
- Janitors – $5.50
- Bakers – $9.00
- Licensed security guards – $7.00
- Unlicensed security guards – $5.00
- Drivers – $7.50
During a recent DBS Radio programme, National Security Minister, Rayburn Blackmoore, stated that the Skerrit-led administration is currently considering modifying the minimum wage and that this is in furtherance of the campaign promises made during the last general elections. He said Dominica does not have the lowest payment structure in the OECS and that the government is conversant with the prevailing payment structure in other regions and would upgrade that of the country accordingly.
“As we speak, we have a measure before cabinet looking at the further adjustment of the minimum wage and that will be done as we promised before and we have heard the Prime Minister make reference to that,” Blackmoore said.
DPSU General Secretary, Thomas Letang, berated the government for failure to implement the wage increase recommendation since it was submitted some months ago. He said this would not have been the situation if there were a functional trade union congress to pressurize the government over issues like this. He said only the DPSU and the WAWU have been fighting for the establishment of a trade congress in the country, and that he will contact other trade unions across the country to discuss the urgent matter of a trade union congress.
This article is copyright © 2021 DOM767
