Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter
AN ISLANDWIDE consultation on the National Minimum Wage has seen more persons recommending that it be increased from $2,400 to $3,000.
The hearings were conducted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to solicit suggestions from interest groups on the level of increase to be made to the minimum wage.
The consultation was conducted by the Minimum Wage Advisory Commission, which is currently deliberating their findings to make a submission to Labour Minister, Horace Dalley this week.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Public Relations Manager at the Ministry of Labour, Gerry McDaniel said that recommendations came from the Jamaica Household Association, which recommended a 25 per cent increase or that it be moved to $3,000.
Several senior citizens also advocated for a similar increase he said. These associations included the Senior Citizens Association of Clarendon and the Rosewell Runfree Club, among others.
The Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in Mandeville also recommended a similar increase.
But there were other interest groups that had different recommendations.
These included the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), which recommended a 9.4 per cent or $2,474 and the Jamaica Employers' Federation (JEF) proposed an increase of between six to eight per cent.
There were five regional consultations held including Ocho Rios, Mandeville, Port Antonio, which the labour minister said was satisfactorily supported.
Minister Dalley had said that he wanted any adjustment in the
minimum wage to be implemented by the first working week of January 2006.
But if this is to be accomplished, the commission would have to submit its recommendations by this week for the minister to bring it to Parliament the following week and then to the House by the end of December before Parliament goes on its Christmas brake.
