Charles orders study of 'liveable wage' for Jamaica

Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles has commissioned a study to determine a minimum liveable wage for Jamaican workers to guide future adjustments in the National Minimum Wage.

A new minimum wage would not be granted ahead of that study, Charles said in Parliament last week.

An increase at this time, he said, could hurt the very people it is intended to help.

"There must be a balance between the increase being considered, and the consequences of such an increase," the labour minister said, adding that given the current state of the economy, "it is strongly felt that any increases at this time could result in a reduction in the number of hours worked, and, ultimately, job losses".

Charles also announced plans, after consultations, to re-establish a Joint Industrial Council (JIC) through which private security guards could negotiate improvements in pay and working conditions outside of the minimum rates set by the ministry for that industry.

Bargaining power

"We are not imposing anything on anybody, but we think that we are holding back the security guards who, if they were permitted to go to the bargaining table with their employers and their representatives, could do a better job than waiting on the minimum wage," he told parliamentarians.

The last private security sector had a JIC that fell apart in the 1980s.

On the issue of the livable wage, which has been mooted for years, Charles said he had commissioned a study "to determine what constitutes a liveable wage" after requests from the public during this year's consultations on the minimum wage.

The study is expected to be completed by March.

Charles said that he would be meeting with the Opposition, employers, and trade unions to discuss the issues.

The minimum wage is currently set at J$4,070 per week, or J$101.75 per hour, and J$6,050 per week, or J$151.25 per hour for security guards.

- JIS