The wages council is set to convene before the end of the year, and according to Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves, following their meeting there should be an increase in the minimum wage here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
This was one of the announcements made by the Finance Minister during a press conference held on Thursday.
Minister Gonsalves said that the Prime Minister brought the point of a minimum wage increase to fore during discussions with the business community and the labour movement, as well as in their meetings with the unions.
“The Prime Minister indicated that he was surprised that nobody had raised the issue, in discussion hardship and all the rest of it, nobody had discussed the issue of the minimum wage for people working in the retail sector in Kingstown, for domestic workers, construction workers and the like,” The Finance Minister said.
“He instructed me, and the cabinet approved, yesterday, that the wages council will convene before the end of the year. We are in the process of selecting the chairperson for the wages council and we hope that after that process, it will result in an increase in the minimum wage for workers in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” he continued.
The Minister said that the Prime Minister saw an increase in the minimum wage as equally important as the salary increases and tax relief announced.