Miller aims for basic wage
(CNS): The country’s only independent representative in the Legislative Assembly is making another bid to try and introduce a minimum wage by asking for a change to a proposed amendment to the Labour Law. Government is intending to bring an amendment to the existing bill to remove the current limits on severance, retirement and compensation. Although Ezzard Miller says he supports the changes, he is requesting that government take the opportunity to add a minimum wage to the bill as well. Miller has made a number of previous attempts to introduce a minimum wage but has so far failed in his efforts to get it onto the statute books.
The North Side representative, however, feels strongly that the country needs a minimum wage to stop the exploitation of foreign workers, which in turn prices Caymanians out of the job market at a time when unemployment is rising among local people and the social ills directly related to that are increasing.
“We have to have a minimum wage,” Miller stated. “It is one of the issues that is keeping Caymanians out of employment as only those from overseas who are living in cramped conditions, sharing rooms and remaining silent about the exploitation are able to manage on these very low rates being paid by some employers. Locals have responsibilities here to look after their families, so they can’t survive.”
Although there is still opposition in the business community to the idea of a legislated minimum wage, he said there had to a be a line drawn about the basic amount below which it was unacceptable for anyone to work.
“The country must recognise that there is a point below which it is unacceptable and it essentially becomes slavery,” Miller added. He said he felt that the legal minimum to begin with should be CI$5, which he acknowledged was still not very much but when employers were paying less than $3 in some cases it was a starting point for offering some kind of protection to workers.
He said most nations now accepted that there was an absolute minimum for all workers and that introducing the basic rate of pay should be across the board and not different levels for different sectors. “There is a point at which no employer should ask a person to work in any professions for any less and that should be five dollars,” he added.
Miller will be tagging on his amendment to the Labour Amendment bill 2011, which currently focuses on removing limits on severance pay and other workers compensation awards to provide one week’s salary for each year worked, no matter how long they have been employed, removing the current twelve week limit.
Previous attempts by Miller to have government introduce the minimum wage have included amendments to the penal code to make paying less than $5 per hour a criminal offence and to the immigration law to prevent work permits being issued to employers for any post that pays less than $5 per hour.
The members of the Legislative Assembly are expected to return to parliament on 21 February where they will, among other issues, be debating the above amendment, the money services and the evidence amendment bills, as well as formalising this year’s extra public holiday to mark the wedding of Prince William to Katherine Middleton in April.
Category: Headline News
If you want to redistribute Cayman’s wealth, which is what the minimum wage tries to do, a negative income tax would be a far more effective method. The minimumwage will ruin the economy! Here are 4 reasons to consider:
1. The minimum wage like price-fixing, will cause a shortage or a surplus of labour, which will cause more unemployment in the Cayman Islands.
2. Crime will increase because some people’s labour is simply not worth the minimum wage; they will not be able to find a job! Employers will not have the funds to pay them just to sweep floors or clean their bathrooms.
3. Such laws will exclude low cost competitors from the labour market. The locals and small businesses will not be able to sustain their services. Large establishments and elites will not feel a thing.
4. Most naturally companies, supermarkets, and businesses, will try to compensate the minimum wage by raising the prices of their goods and services. The local consumers will suffer in the end; and,
5. It is not moral! The minimum wage is like a tax! It forces employers to pay low skilled workers for tasks that are not worth the high pay. It all has to do with “government control” and has Socialist backing. Such laws will weaken the private sector whilst the public sector will grow in size, interfering more in people’s personal affairs. It will be TAX on the already expensive society!!!
I agree with a minimum wage…i do think $5 is low but it is a start. Most companies do pay higher than $5 per hour so this would only affect the busineses that try to pay as little as possible while making a huge income!! for instance XXXX the supermarkets, local bars etc. If a company can afford to have so many stores XXXX that make a 50% profit on all their porducts after thier expenses, which amounts to thousands to hundereds of thousands a day in some cases and only pay a worker $250 per week before health insurance and pension and only going home with $175 per week afterwards, this will show that something is wrong! Local bars pay thier workers on average $200 per week when they will make a lot more in profits and exploit these girls by forcing them to wear skimpy clothes and act like prostitues but they are afraid to make a complaint because of the fear that they will loose their job and be deported by government. They find it just as hard to find a replacement job just as Caymanians find it hard to find a job.
There are business out there that make a lot of profit even though they scream that they are not making any money. This is because in the past they made MORE profit while exploiting these people because the ecomony was better. If they are not making enough money they would have closed their doors from last year. Yes this is set to employ Caymanians or protect Caymanians, but some of these businesses will still hire expats, such as local bars, but I believe that expats should be treated the same when it comes to a minimum wage. Most resturants pay their waiter/waitresses $3.50 per hour which sounds low but actually after grats they make $15 to $20 per hour, I can say that because i used to be a waiter, but there are resuturants out there that pay $3.50 per hour and that is it!
I believe that there can be a minimum wage put in place which as i said would affect some businesses but not all, you will not see your electricity bill go up because CUC does not pay below minimum wage (Gas stations can also be regulated, why are we paying so much more for gas than this part of the world? why did they increase the gallon by 25%, which is CI government’s doing), same for your other bills (Cable abd phone) cause the minimum wage does not affect these companies too much.
This will affect maybe your prices in the supermarkets, but then why are we paying so much in import tax on goods that are needed such as food and clothes? This can also be looked into. When people talk about businesses here not making money, please hold your comment, because if a business owner is making a profit that can support his/her family to the point that they are not stuggling with bills, they are if good condition and need not complain. You don’t need to be greedy just because you are not making the BIG BUCKS and can’t afford an extravagant lifestyle.
5$ and hour equals to 800 a month. Rent is 1200.
When 5$ an hour becomes the minimum wage, then everybody that makes 6, will loose 1$ an hour.
The problem is the greed of business owners and the lack of interest in the people by politicians.
Miller seems to care, but 5$ is an insult.
The real problem is the culture. A culture of greed and selfishness.
Once again, Ezzard is doing what he does best. Why not be a proponent for further liberalizing the Cayman economy, remove red tapes/bureaucracy, lower import duties so households are encouraged to purchase products online and let the market decide what acceptable prices should be for any particular goods or let the market decide what wages should be for any particular skill, and see the improvement in customers satisfaction, customer service and no doubt, improvement in standard of living for all to include expats.
Take Lime and Digicel for example, the technicians are enjoying better wages due to higher demand for those skill sets, HR managers now have bench mark salaries for telecom professional and best of all, consumers satisfaction and standards have improved. Now, let’s see how better a job the HSA and CTMH will do when the Shetty projectis opened up, then take a look how competition will impact the salaries of valuable employees.
Are you now wondering what more can be done with the hardware firms here on Island? The very presence of at least three ( CL,ALT&UB) should have been doing wonders, in this case not for salaries but for prices, but guess what? They are colluding and so price competition is negligible… Ezzard – How about reducing import duties for overseas purchases so I am encouraged to purchase my electric drill online. Tell me what would happen here EZZZZZZZZ. If I am allowed to continue on to explain why salaries in this mentioned industry is unlikely to be impacted by competition is because the jobs are majority unskilled. The forces of demand and supply will set the salary level low for unskilled workers due to the share numbers; however, the point to note here is, unskilled workers should be seeking to improve themselves so as to have a greater competing edge always.
Ezzy – Since you’re not campaigning, please think economics for a change and leave politics out of an important subject such as minimum wage.
A better solution might be to change the work permit system.
Currently, a work permit belongs to the employer. Therefore, the employer has draconian control over the employee. Some employers (some, not all) use this control to abuse the employee by demanding long hours with no overtime, deducting pension payments that are not paid into the pension system and deducting health care premiums without paying into the health care system. The expat employees, many from impoverished third world countries, are afraid to complain because they can be deported on a few days notice.
To civilize this unchristian indentured slavery system, the work permit could be put directly into the employee’s hands. This would allow the employee to switch jobs. Then, the employers would be forced to compete for good labour and the wages for good employees would rise.
Ultimately, this would be good for Caymanians because employers would have the work permit cost for an expat without the control. Therefore, Caymanian employees would become more attractive.
A minimum wage law would be unenforceable; just look at the pension and medical coverage abuses that exist in Cayman.
Well said and well thought out. This might be workable and achieve the results that you anticipate. Thanks for suggesting it.
The cost of doing business in Cayman is already high enough. For a CEO for a Class B Bank with 3 employers can cost up to $20,000 a year and we wonder why businesses are screaming to get the hell out of Cayman. Ezzard, I think you have some good ideas and deeply care about your people yet I believe $5 an hour isn’t a lot of help as it only creates a class system. The only way Cayman can have a basic wage due to the high cost of living would be to implement a living wage and a basic wage of $8. This I don’t see happening as it works in Switzerland and Norway yet Cayman probably not.
Inflation in Cayman is about 4.5% depending on who you ask so be on the safe side it’s 6% now how many employees are getting a yearly 6% raise? This leaves us wondering if the person who is making $4.50 can afford a bread and a gallon of milk a week.
Lower the cost of permits, fees and offer companies rebates to attract them to coming to Cayman by having LBZ ( low cost business zones). Introduce a national lottery to help fund education, security, transportation etc and a 5% tax to individuals earning over $100,000 pa. There’s about 5,000 workers in Cayman that are making this amount so that would be around $2million a year which will help small businesses and for living wages. Cayman needs to be more business friendly if it wants to compete on a global scale. Just my point for what it’s worth.
Blessings to all
Ezzard always has bad anti business ideas. If he ever gets real power he will run this contry into the ground.
Mr. Miller,
Hopefully this new move to make our people happy will include a subsidy program for those lower income families. Yes a subsidy for childcare in a nursery, or after school care as these parents, some of them single, or divorced with one parent may need a government voucher to subsidize their salary in their need to pay a babysitter on a work permit at a required rate of $5 per hour when the minimum wage law is passed.It would not make any sense for a store clerk working for $200 per week to pay a baby sitter $5 per hour also working 40 hours per week herself. That would be bad mathematics.
A good idea..
I wish they would complete things they promised before implementing anything else..
A few months ago we heard about shorting the roll over, well it is 2011 and nothing said, except for Ms Bodden who is a UDP stating it can’t happen. McKeeva is the leader of the country, why would he make a promise "again" and not deliver??? The roll over has effected businesses, real estate and more…..this country is in such a mess including higher immigration fees!!!
Address the problems that are here now, not create more!!!
***** EZZARD, with all due respect, on this point, we can not agree with your stance. If you want to redistribute Cayman’s wealth, which is what the minimum wage tries to do, a negative income tax would be a far more effective method. The minimum wage like price-fixing, will cause a shortage or a surplus of labour, which will cause more unemployment in the Cayman Islands. There are some people whose labour is simply not worth the minimum wage. With minimum wage laws, they will never get a job. For you to believe otherwise, is for you to believe that government can legislate laws to make the economy better, which is pure myth! Our economy is made better when “left alone” and government’s unnecessary regulatory barriers are removed from our free market andfolks who just want to easily start a business or company. The more businesses, the more jobs. And yes, there will be jobs that pay very low wages; however, the more companies, is the more opporunities you have to find a better job that pays more. This is what the free market is all about. I am an opponent of the minimum wage; there is no liberty, no freedom of the market in it! If you set a minimum wage against Cayman, it will exclude low cost competitors from our labour market. The locals and small businesses will get hurt – not elites like Dart and large establishments. Employers will try to compensate the minimum wage by raising the prices of their goods and services. Ezzard, more people out of work means more crime will increase! PLEASE, EZZARD, LEAVE THE CAYMAN MARKET ALONE! WE ARE MUCH BURDENED ALREADY BY HIKED FEES, DUTIES, AND PETTY COMMERCIAL LAWS! DO NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN TO POOR CAYMANIANS YOU CLAIM TO DEFEND! *****
To Libertarian, You claim to have a problem with what you call the redistribution of wealth.However it appears you are only concerned when the poor man benefits,but have no problem when the moneyman (like yourself)benefits.Perhaps if there was a minimum wage you might actually save some money on work permit fees by hiring locally.
Libertarian,
We can see you have a strong opinion on this issue, but your economic research is sorely lacking in depth and accuracy. The ‘free market’ you describe with no government regulations or restrictions, is what was in place during colonial times. This lead (especially in the Caribbean and Americas) to long term indentured servitude imposed because the people in power (with the most money) thought having slaves made good economic sense, which it did. What people learned, and our economies evolved, was that worker rights and a balance between workers and business creates the most balanced economic development and creates a fairer and stable society. The main way for workers to get their voice heard, since they don’t control the money, is through government which is a representation of the people (in democracies of course).
As the world is seeing in full force as of YESTERDAY in Egypt, the people are fed up with the ‘free market’ at its specifically designed mechanisms to redistribute wealth (the main reason for the protests in Egypt are due to the economic restrictions lifted by the president in power that has seen the poor get poorer, the middle class become poor, and the elite get richer). A total free market redistributes wealth at epic proportions, just in the opposite direction. If you look at the statistics of economies over the past 30 years that have rolled back government imposed restrictions (the list is long), the wealth has been redistributed from the middle class and the poor to the rich in the largest proportions in modern history. These elites make up an average of 3-5% of the population but control/have 98% of the wealth. Is that how we should be living?
A minimum wage, albeit $5 is clearly way to low, is the first step in striking a balance in the economy. In a free market with no controls, the human factor is taken out of the equation and the basic economics drives the society. For society to work there will be classes of workers from high earners, to low earners, but all should have the same basic respect. The first step to establishing this respect is to control the market and require a wage to be paid that meets the basic human needs of an individual. This is highlighted by the inclusion of economic human rights.
We are a country with ties to colonial slavery. We should not do the same to other people, under a different name, because we have seen success in the past 30 years.
Friend, I think your economic research lacks depth and accuracy. To a libertarian, a free market (of the 21st Century) does not EXCLUDE government’s role in protecting people, consumers, and workers from fraud, breach of contract, theft, and acts of aggression in the work place. We are not talking about the free market from days of slavery! I think you fail to fully understand what liberty entails.
Libertarians merely affirm that when it comes to economic issues, our government should “not interfere” with the market. The means of production should be under private not under government control; or else, you will gravitate towards a socialist or communist regime. “There are many things the government can’t do, many good purposes it must renounce. It must leave them to the enterprise of others. It cannot feed the people. It cannot enrich the people. It cannot teach the people. It cannot convert the people.” – saying by Lord Acton. Like Church and State, there should be a clear separation between the Market and those in Power! “The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” – Thomas Jefferson.
You speak as if it’s wrong to get rich and that wealthy people are irresponsible people that don’t deserve what they make from hard work! I have met many good people who are rich, but can’t do the charitable deeds with their wealth because of government’s restrictive barriers! In this world, the reason why you have the political-rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, is because as the poor man makes something or attempts to do something to make his life better, his government like a robber, is there to take that hard earn monies from him by way of indirect taxation, fees, and more restrictive laws making it hard for him to maintain his little fortune or even to start his own company. So… my friend, it is not the rich who are taxing people and making it hard for them to live. In fact, the more wealthy people, the financially stronger companies you have on island, is the more jobs will be created. Butlike Bob Marley said about his government, it is a “vampire sucking the blood” of its children. Speaking about slave days, for your information, it was the British “government” that made them into slaves.
Now Egypt’s Revolution did not start from wealthy elites! I think you are pointing the finger at the wrong group of people here! You should be watching the news more often! It started because of a Mubarak regime that was protected by the United States for 30 odd years so to protect Israel and their own interest! This was not poor people against wealthy people in Egypt! You had people from all walks of life, opposing an “oppressive government” that picked the pockets of its citizens and made regulations against their liberties of speech, freedom of the press, internet, and commerce. People were not fed up with market per se, but the oppressive government that controlled it and intervened too often in their private affairs.
Libertarians don’t see wealth limited like a Socialist would do, who believes in taking away monies from those who have worked hard to acquire it. Rather, we see enough wealth “available” for everyone who works hard and are able to acquire it. We encourage self-responsibility – not laziness and government hand-outs! We encourage governments to “ALLOW” the market to grow and create more wealth without interferences, bail-outs, and protectionist laws.
The government’s role should be to protect its citizens from harm not mount laws upon them that everyone becomes so bogged down with societal stressors. Right now, I can tell you, there are a lot of robberies, crime in Cayman has increased, tourists are being effected, and even employers are finding ways to break or bend the laws of the land. Our government need to focus more on what it suppose to be doing! It needs to ALLOW the economy to grow! It needs to reduce the cost of living by dramatically lowering fees, duties, and licenses – not by a minimum wage, which will make matters worse!
once again ezzard proves he is king of the populist soundbite and has absolutley no grasp basic economics and the damage such a move would do to the cayman islands
Thank you Ezzard its about time this country like most democractic countries around the world try to get a minium wage . They have onewhy not us? My kids that recently graduated went to live in toronto and are getting paid 13-15 per hour canadian . Unfurnished apt in the city 600 dollars per month. People working in some states in burger king and other fast food rest. starting at us$15 per hour 40 hour work week. Want ads in toronto for workers to work in hotels starting $ 30 per hour from room maid to receptionist? Our economics says we are grossly underpaying people in this country. Of course not lawyers and CPA’s but pretty much everybody else who doesn’t work for gov’t
I hope the other members of gov’t finally get this bill passed properly and with enforcement. because i feel it is tied to the recent increase in crime some people are trying to get through to the powers that they are losing hope with no hope there is despair.
On Rooster talk radio a while ago the head of the Chamber of Commerce said that they supported a minimum wage in the Cayman Islands.
What was funny in hearing this was that the radio talk show hosts believed him.
It don’t matter. No one obeys the laws already on the books.
***** People don’t “obey” because many of our laws, are anti-business! So… most naturally, to get by, you have to cheat the system! How do you expect a local man to start his own company when he already has to save so much monies (not in the hundreds, but in the thousands) just to start one. Ican tell you now, business-owners are suffering because of the hike permit fees alone *****
I get by and I don’t cheat.
Well done. Good for you. Others don’t have the money and are not strong in character like yourself.
I agree with all that Mr Miller is concerned about & it is amazing how long this issue has remained under the radar. Secondly i’am flabbergasted with nearly all of these "exploited" workers (who play right along ofcourse) that turn their nose up at many Caymanian’s,suggesting by their tone & body language,as if we dont belong here. It is amazing what people percieve when over 3000 grants of status have been issued isn’t it? We need a minimum wage now & given the cost of living i think it is non-sense if that minimum is less than $10.00 per hour.
Brace yourself Cayman, the next political football will now become "Who is going to raise the minimum wage next election?" . And who’s going to pay for the politician’s kind generosity to increase the minimum wage (not to help themselves in the election of course)? Cayman businesses, and therefore and you and me.
What miller doesn;’t seem to comprehend that that minimum wages are FAILURES EVERYWHERE they are imposed. Why? because minimum wage has never helped live a "better" life, its never improved anyone’s life to any notable degree. You are _not supposed_ to make minimum wage. No one on earth has ever said, "Thank God they raised the minimum wage, I can now afford to buy a home." Ever!
If you really want to make a difference in someone’s life with minimum wage, why not make it 20.00 an hour? But we can’t can we? because businesses would go under, it would fail. Because the model is FAILURE, it only a question of dosage.
What DOES work? instead of putting more strangle on businesses, help them create OPPORTUNITY. The market always adjust wages based on demand. Markets work, Government attempt in fixing those markets don’t and never will.
This is nothing more than "feel good policies" which will amount to nothing other than higher costs. period. Oh, and perhaps a few more votes come election time.
A minimum wage is only going to put up the cost of many things in Cayman…plain and simple. Typically some other benefit disappears from the employee. Personally I do not disagree with a minimum wage however I do understand the ramifications. Caymanians do not show an extreme willingness to work for under $8 -10 (ala christmas clean-up experience) so this maybe all a moot point anyhow.
As long as everyone realizes that there is no free cake here.
ok Ezzard
What happens if the helper gets $5.00 per hour, but the single mother employing her doesn’t get a raise because she already makes $3500 per month?
Bad idea, Ezzard. Basic economics shows that you cannot simply legislate a higher minimum wage. Employers will pay what they feel the work is worth–and forcing them to pay anything higher than that will result in them either: 1) not hiring someone to do the work; 2) hiring a higher-skilled person who is actually worth that amount per hour; or 3) hiring someone outside of the provisions of law.
It must be remembered that no one is forcing anyone to take a job. In the absence of coercion, what right does government have to get in-between the employer and employee relationship?
Minimum wage actually creates unemployment and hurts those with lower skill-sets, who are (presumably) the very people you are attempting to protect.
There’s an extremely good reason you’ve suggested this time and time again to no avail–it’s because it’s a terrible idea and thankfully the government realises this!
***** That is why I’m scared of Ezzard when it comes to attainment of power. He has some good ideas, but such a one like this, a government attempt to distribute wealth, would be an economic disaster! And crime will increase because some people’s labour is simply not worth the minimum wage; they will not be able to find a job! *****
14:37
There is something called an Independent contractor.
There are some employers who can only pay for labor from monies generated through the employees sales and marketing efforts similar to a real estate agent or associate. Then an Independent contractor sales agreement can be signed between the employee and the employer out linining the terms and conditions of services by the contractor.(or employee)
This will alleviate some of the strain from employers that are struggling but need the extra hands.
Independent Contractors do not enjoy benefits or amenities. They would have to apply for health insurance through CLINICO or get another job with a large corporation.
Ezzard you may want to look into this closer before making a final decision.
introducing a minimum wage would kill off caymans already over-priced economy……
ask yourself …would you want to pay 25% more for groceries just because of a caymanian’s sense of entitlement?
***** Not only that, but many skilled people will leave the island, and then you will hear government talking about granting more Caymanian Statuses to increase our population so businesses will keep up. What Ezzard should be doing, is implementing measures to lower the cost of living by allowing more commercial freedom for both locals and expats *****
I absolutely support this measure. When I learn of an establishment on island that doesn’t pay the staff a decent salary. I stop going to that establishment.
This legislation doesn’t apply to ninety five percent of employers because they are already paying higher salaries than the suggested minimum wage.
I take it them that you grow your own food, drink rain water and dont’t drive; don’t use electricity nor have a phone or go out for supper.
If not then you’re talking shite.
***** Marek, this is wrong move! Instead of government redistributing wealth, they should be focusing on lower the cost of living! Stop making hard for the little man to start and maintain his own business or company! Stop making it hard to sell goods and services in the Cayman Islands! Remove these restrictive laws that are forcing businesses to downsize and cut employees! Remove these hike permits and fees against employers! A minimum wage is like a mere band-aid over all of these things; it won’t help us, but make the situation worse! *****
About time…but not holding my breath.
I am relieved as I hadn’t heard anything about Ezzard for several days and have wondered what he is up to and what important contributions he plans to make to the betterment of the country. Glad I don’t have to wait until Super Tuesday to hear about Ezzard.
Don’t the other politicians do anything or have any ideas?
Right now businesses all over the island are struggling to stay afloat. There are several thousand fewer visitors and residents than there was 2 years ago.
The finance industry is threatened by onshore regulation and a shaky global economy, and the tourism industry is threatened by a wave of violent crime.
Now is not the time to try and drive up everybody’s wage bill. Businesses can’t afford it, and the result will be that they let staff go.
Isn’t it better to have 2 people earning $5 per hour, than one person earning $10 per hour and one person unemployed?
Mr Miller how about doing something that is actually going to help Cayman instead of trying to make yourself look good? How about putting some pressure on the police, governor and premier to do something about crime for instance?
Why $5, I dont disagree with the implementation of minimum wage, but question why that amount? Was any research conducted on our economy to see where we stand financially, what an individuals typical obligations (ie, rent/mortgage, utilities etc.) are before coming up with this number? Before implementing such legislations, I believe their needs to be intensive research to see what burdens the average household has to bear, and what is the absolute minimum they could survive off of to cover such, before a decision is made on the amount to have as minimum wage, otherwise, in no time we will be amending this legislation like many others. Minimum wage is a good idea once used correctly and efficiently.
Ezzard !!!
A minimum wage of $5.00 per hour would not increase the salary of someone who makes $3,000 per month, but it would certainly increase the salary of his/her Domestic Helper.
So while the Domestic Helper would have more to send home – it would increase the expenses of the Caymanian that has him/her hired.
Imagine if the employer Caymanian is a single mother having to pay a Domestic Helper minimum wage.
I say they should setup a commitee to look at it – but surely not impose the arbitrary figure being suggested by Ezzard.
The average domestic helper is making $50 a day. There fore they are either already above the minimum wage or working 10+ hour days. Either way, their actual take home pay is unlikely to change, just their hours.
So if it actually affects the single mother making 3500 a month, she’s taking huge advantage of her helper and needs an adjustment.
***** No minimum wage or committee PERIOD! *****
Ezzard – why didn’t you just ask for the Minister to establish a Minimum Wage Committee? Surely a Committee should review and advise the Minister on an appropriate amount.
Who are you to say what the minimum wage should be? PPM did a report that said you could live in Cayman off of $1.90 per day – so surely they had it wrong.
“…a report that said you could live in Cayman off of $1.90 per day”.
I think you will find that said you could live off FOOD costing that amount. That may work if one buys sacks of white rice and beans. Obviously that does not include all of your other expenses.
And even if we have a minimum wage other sections of the labour law would have to be examined as there are loop holes that the employer uses to make deductions from employees like for accommodation, meals etc. They already use these loop holes paying them even less that what they say they are paying.
I wish these politicians would educate themselves as to what the laws of this country says. For those that dont know the Labour Law already has the provision for a National Minimum Basic Wage please see Sections 20 through 22. No bill is required just get the Government to go through the above sections and get the ball rolling.
Sorry, Mr Miller, with respect, but you can’t fight the forces of economics with legislation. Beware the law of ‘unintended consequences!’ If you succeed in introducing a minimum wage, it will result in many losing their jobs, or just as bad, many employers threatening their permit-holder employees, and forcing them not to complain.
Too many employers have got away for years with daylight robbery, stealing pension and medical entitlements from their staff, so why not start holding these people accountable before you inevitably add to the load of unpaid liabilities?
***** daylight robbery? As far as I know, people ought to do what they want with their own money! This thing about employers should pay for people’s pension and medical, should not be forced upon them! People ought to be responsible for their own destiny? Private establishments can do Pension services to those who are interested! To force employers to pay for them, is not beyond daylight – but highway robbery at its best! *****
There’s not much that I agree that is uttered out of Miller, but with this, I completely agree. It’s really disgusting that such a "so called" Christian community has let this go on for so long. SHAME!
***** If you believe in charity then simply donate towards the cause! But since when have you seen Government act in place of your Church? Why should you force everyone to be charitable? If I own a store and I need someone to sweep my store clean just once a week, are you telling me that I have to pay them a miminum set wage? So you’re telling me what I must do with my money? And the poor man who is looking work just to make a buck, won’t be able to because I, the store-owner would be unable to hire him because of the stupid minimum wage! Charity must begin at home and stay out of government! Please leave “us” the people out of your convictions and beliefs. *****