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Letter To The Editor By Kamisha L Edwards.
Digicel SVG CEO, has refused to pay her employees money owed to them after being misled into working 9-hour day shifts!
Based on the wages regulation order, 2008 “worker in offices of professionals or any other worker employed in any professional undertaking”, “The hours of work of a worker in offices of professionals shall be eight hours per day INCLUSIVE OF ONE HOUR FOR LUNCH.“
Employees at Digicel were made to believe that they were not paid for the 1-hour lunch and instead, was paid for 160 hours of work and not 160 hours plus 20 hours overtime which should be paid at TIME & A HALF.
There have been numerous complaints to the labor department since November 2018 to no avail. Changes were then made to have employees work 8-hour shifts in December, giving the impression that management cares for their employee’s well being.
Employees have been on the edge which has increased stress after learning about Digicel’s betrayal and fear of being targeted by their CEO if they dear speak out.
Sadly, after so long, there has been no word on repayment of the hours worked. Also, the Finance Manager, Lonely Duncan knew about the hours and kept quiet all those years.
Both managers refuse to pay their employees and it is alleged that they have been consulting lawyers to determine if there is a loophole in the law to not pay what is owed.
The people of Digicel SVG demand the money they have worked hard for! Pay up!!
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
STATUTORY RULES AND ORDERS
2008 NO. 34
(Gazetted 1st July, 2008)
IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by section 10 (5) of the Wages Council Act, 1953 (No: 1 of 1953) the Governor-General makes the following Order:
WAGES REGULATION (WORKERS IN OFFICES OF PROFESSIONALS)
ORDER, 2008
This Order may be cited as the Wages Regulation (Workers in Offices of Professionals) Order 2008, and comes into operation on the 1st day of July 2008.
Citation and Commencement
In this Order:
Interpretation
“worker in offices of professionals” means any person employed in the offices of doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects, contractors, engineers, tax consultants, data entry firms, shipping agencies, custom brokers, insurance companies, secretarial services or any other worker employed in any professional undertaking.
(1) An employer shall pay to a worker in offices of professionals the minimum wages which are specified in the Schedule to this Order.
Conditions employment
of
The hours of work, overtime wages, vacation, sick leave or maternity leave of a worker employed in offices of professionals shall be as specified in the Schedule to this Order.
The Wages Regulations (Workers in Office of Professionals)
Order 2003 (No. 17 of 2003) is hereby repealed.
Repeal
144
SCHEDULE
(section 3)
Minimum Wages.
Workers in offices of professionals
Rate Clerk
$700.00 per month
Search Clerk
$600.00 per month
Office Clerk
$650.00 per month
Accounts Clerk
$700.00 per month
Receptionist/Typist
$600.00 per month
Office Attendant
$500.00 per month
Secretary
$800.00 per month
Hours of Work.
The hours of work of a worker in offices of professionals shall be eight hours per day inclusive of one hour for lunch.
The hours of work of a worker in offices of professionals shall be forty-four hours per week.
Overtime wages.
An employer shall pay a worker in offices of professionals who works on a public holiday, or for a period in excess of eight hours in any day, or for a period in excess of forty-four hours in any week, overtime for the period during which he works as follows:
in respect of working on a public holiday, twice the hourly equivalent of the normal wages payable to the worker;
in respect of working for a period in excess of eight hours in any day which is not a public holiday, one and one half the hourly equivalent of normal wages payable to the worker during the week in which he is so employed.
145
A worker in offices of professionals who works on a Sunday shall be paid double time by his employer.
A worker in offices of professionals, other than one employed on a day-to-day basis, is entitled to vacation as follows:
Period of Work
Vacation
1 to 2 years service
14 working days
3 to 5 years service
18 working days
6 to 10 years service
21 working days
Where the service of a worker in offices of professionals is terminated during the second or subsequent year of employment, the employer shall pay to the worker the proportionate part of the vacation due to him at the time of the termination.
Sick leave.
A worker in offices of professionals shall be entitled to sick leave with pay as
follows:
Period of Work
Sick leave
months
calendar days
1 to S years
14 calendar days
6 years and over
21 calendar days
A worker in offices of professionals who receives surgical care, therapeutic care or is otherwise requested to be confined for medical purposes by a duly qualified medical practitioner is entitled to a maximum of thirty calendar days sick leave.
A worker in offices of professionals shall present to his employer a medical certificate relating to his illness by the third day of absence from work.
For the avoidance of doubt, a worker in offices of professionals who presents to his employer a medical certificate by the third day of absence from work and who otherwise qualifies for sick leave in accordance with this Order, shall be entitled to full pay which shall be inclusive of any benefits received from the National Insurance Services.
146 Maternity leave.
A worker in offices of professionals who has two years continuous service with an employer shall be entitled to maternity leave for the aggregate period of four weeks confinement, during which time the employer shall pay not less than thirty-five percent of wages to the worker.
For the purpose of calculating continuous service, a minimum of one hundred and fifty days shall be deemed to qualify for one year’s service.
Dated the 04th day of June, 2008.
BERNARD MORGAN
Secretary to the Cabinet (Ag.)
Printed by the Government Printer at the Government Printing Office,
Campden Park, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
