Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.
Equal pay for equal work for G4S workers.
That’s the outcome following successful talks between the Government of Barbados, Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) and G4S Secure Solutions Barbados.
Word of this came from Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, who during a press briefing yesterday evening was pleased to report that strike action threatened by the BWU this week has been averted, given that the security company will eliminate the pay gap of workers performing the same functions.
As a result, from the start of 2021, all security workers employed by G4S, whether categorised as a “steward” or “officer”, will receive the same hourly rate of $8.79 and work no less than 40 hours per week.
“I am happy to report after intensive back and forth and conciliation between the parties, that the parties have agreed that G4S will pay all of the security workers whether stewards or officers $8.79 from January 1st, as opposed to the old rate of $7.42,” Mottley announced.
“But that we all agree that the only sustainable solution for this is not simply their application of the commitment to pay from January 1st that amount. We have agreed as well that there will be a commitment to a minimum number of hours as guided by the custom and practice, and the collective bargaining agreement – but in any event not less than 40 hours per week.”
In addition, Prime Minister Mottley gave her commitment towards a new National Minimum Wage – encompassing all categories of workers. With the Draft Proposal for a National Minimum Wage for Barbados in hand, she said that it will go to the National Minimum Wage Board “for its comments, acceptance, amendments”.
She also revealed the establishment of a “Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee” to advise the Cabinet as to what was being recommended by the National Minimum Wage Board, which will continue to have responsibility for the maintenance and review of minimum wages in Barbados.
“We believe that this Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee will take the recommendations of the Minimum Wage Board and take the recommendations from this working document, and we will ask them to consult with the various institutions across the Social Partnership. But, open up also to the public of Barbados and in doing so that they report back to the Cabinet of Barbados no later than February 1st, 2021. At which point, the Minister will then review their comments – that of the National Minimum Wage Board, that of the Working Committee and recommend to Cabinet for Cabinet’s agreement what the national minimum wage would be,” Mottley explained.
“One of the things that we recognise is that there can be no single figure across the board, particularly since certain sectors have different complexities and different skill sets, and that is reflected in the draft report as well. So you may have a national minimum wage that is across the board for shop assistance and domestics and gas station workers, general workers, watchmen, cleaners – but already agricultural workers are paid above even what we had put in the manifesto for a national minimum wage, and security workers.
“So, we expect that they will review this; that they will look at the different sectors. We expect that nobody is going to set a minimum wage lower than what people are earning for the most part. And therefore, we look forward to a resolution of this matter that will allow not just G4S workers, not just security workers but thousands of Barbadian workers to face 2021 with the comfort that come April that there will be in place in Barbados a National Wage as well as minimum wages for different sectors.”
