Pay increase for ten employment sectors announced

Increases in the minimum wage rates for ten employment sectors are now effective.

Minimum wage rates for security services is up by 9.7 percent, manufacturing and garment is up by 9.9 percent, the printing, building and civil and electrical engineering, hotel and catering, mining and quarrying, wholesale and retail industries' minimum wages are up by 7.9 percent, road transport is up by 10 percent while sawmilling and logging go up by 10.4 percent.

With the increases, the new hourly minimum rates vary in the ten sectors ranging from $1.54 an hour to $4.98 an hour.

Labour Minister, Jone Usamate said that this is the first time in the history of our nation that the government has introduced a productivity based wage system for the ten sectors covered under Wages Regulations Orders, which also accounts for the cost of living component.

Usamate appeals to all employers to honor their moral and legal responsibilities to their workers to fully comply with the new wage rates.

He also calls for the improvement of the levels of productivity by adopting modern business practices and to invest in quality training of their workers to remain competitive.

Story by: Vijay Narayan