The Guyana government has moved to implement a minimum wage for certain categories of low income earners with the new measure to take effect from June 1.
This was disclosed by Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon on Thursday at his post-Cabinet news briefing.
The categories to benefit include gas station employees; security guards; hotel, restaurant and bar workers; transportation workers; grocery, hardware, dry goods and drug store workers; printery and trading workers, aerated and water factory workers; sawmill, and timber grant workers and contract workers.
Dr. Luncheon noted that an increase has not been done since 2008 and added that the decision on the adjustments was made after consultations between the labour ministry, the private sector and organised labour.
As an example, sales clerks and cashiers grocery, dry goods, hardware and drug stores who earned GUY$4,500 and GUY$5,000 respectively in 2008 will now earn GUY$7,000 and GUY$6,500, according to the labour ministry.
Cinema operators will get GUY$11,400 per week; cashiers and ticket collectors GUY$8,900; sweep cleaners GUY$6,900 and general staff GUY$10,900.
Security guards will now be entitled to a minimum of GUY$140 per hour compared to GUY$100 per hour four years ago, the ministry said.
On the issue of enforcing the increases Dr. Luncheon said it will call for more vigilance by several parties.
“It would call for much more vigorous action on behalf of the NIS, more action on behalf of the Ministry of Labour inspectors and of course the willingness of employees who are affected by the trifling of these labour laws by employers to come forward and to be identified even at the risk of being on the breadline,” he said.
Labour minister Dr. Nanda Gopaul is expected to sign the order to bring the new structure into effect on Friday.
