The Draft Report and Recommendations of the Minimum and Equal Wages Commission were presented to the Cabinet of Ministers on May 10, 2024; following which, the Cabinet of Ministers directed the Commission to engage all stakeholders in a public consultation, after the publication of the Draft Minimum Wage Order.
The Draft Minimum Wage Order was published in an Extraordinary edition of the Saint Lucia Government Gazette Vol.193 Issue 17 on May 16, 2024. This Order gave all concerned interests 21 days within which to object to, or comment on, the contents of the Draft Order. Twenty-one days is the period prescribed by section 77 of the Labour Act Cap 16.04, for objections and comments. A Draft Order is not the instrument that establishes a minimum wage.
Although there are no provisions in the Labour Act for public consultations on the Draft Minimum Wage Order, the Commission, acting on the directive given by the Cabinet of Ministers, held a public consultation with all stakeholders on May 22, 2024, at the Finance Administrative Complex. All Stakeholders, inclusive of the Saint Lucia Chamber of Industry and Commerce (The Chamber), the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA), The Bakers Association, and the Employers Federation, to name a few, were present. There were over 120 participants, in person and virtually.
Immediately after this consultation, the Commission circulated all the documentation pertinent to the methodology used to inform the contents of the draft Minimum Wage Order to all the stakeholders.
As a result of a request made to the Commission, another virtual consultation was held with the members of the Chamber and the SLHTA on May 29, 2024. The private sector provided the virtual platform used for this second consultation.
The Minimum Wage was established by the Hon. Minister for Labour under section 68 of the Labour Act by Statutory Instrument, 2024, No. 134, issued on September 30, 2024, and become effective October 1, 2024.