Minimum Wage Review ends Today

The Minimum Wage Advisory Commission (MWAC) will have its final regional consultation on the National Minimum Wage and the Minimum Wage for Security Guards, at the Manchester Club, Mandeville on Thursday (March 18).
The consultation starts at 1 p.m. and will end at about 6 p.m. This is the fifth and final in the current series of islandwide consultations being hosted by the Commission, as it reviews the minimum wages. Members of the public and interested organizations are invited to put forward comments, suggestions or proposals for consideration.
The Minimum Wage Advisory Commission comprises representatives of the government,
trade unions and employers’ group and is mandated to review minimum wage rates, annually.
The current Commissioners are – Silvera Castro, chairman; Danny Roberts, First Vice-president of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), representing the trade unions; and, Bernita Locke, First Vice President, Jamaica Employers Federation (JEF), representing the employers.
Last year, the National Minimum Wage was increased by ten percent (10%), moving from $3,700 to $4,070 per forty-hour work week. The National Minimum Wage for Industrial Security Guards was also increased by 10%, from $5,500 to $6,050 per 40-hour week.
The Commission advises the Minister on all matters relating to national minimum wages and other minimum wages under the Minimum Wage Act. It is also responsible for obtaining and recording information with regard to wages and remuneration, conditions of work and other factors affecting the circumstances of employment.
It also makes recommendations to the Minister, from time to time, regarding the category of workers in relation to which a minimum wage should be fixed, the level at which the wage should be fixed and related matters.