Wonnie Boedhoe will continue to serve as the National Pay Council’s chairman for another term. Wednesday saw the installation of the council by AWJ Minister Steven Mac Andrew. The Minister receives guidance on determining the minimum salary from the Pay Council. The advice is legally binding on the minister, but the Council of Ministers or the Council of Government must agree before the general minimum wage can be determined and implemented.
In a brief address before to the installation, Mac Andrew made reference to ILO convention 131, the Minimum Wage Fixing Convention. The agreement mandates that each signatory nation create a system for determining the minimum wage. In order to establish a minimum wage, the convention mandates that representative organizations of businesses and employees participate equally and that numerous consultations be held.
According to Mac Andrew, Convention 131 also states that it is important to strike a balance between workers’ needs and the nation’s economic situation. He urged the National Wage Council to hold extensive consultations in accordance with convention 131’s principles so that the varied perspectives and views of important players could be included in the final advice, which might also garner greater support.
According to Mac Andrew, the consultation should go beyond one’s own interest group and the typical social companions. He also underlined that an evaluation of the effects of VAT was included in the National Pay Council’s recommendations. He urged the National Pay Council to take this into account.
Since April 2021, Boedhoe has served as the Pay Council’s chairman. She committed to advising the minister while taking popular support into account as well as the effect of macroeconomic factors on the minimum wage.
