Minimum Wage Advisory Committee

Membership

As per Section 21 of the Labour Law (2011 Revision) Cabinet established the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee (MWAC) to carry out the necessary research and recommend a minimum wage or wages for the Cayman Islands. The MWAC is made up of 12 members with equal representation of employers, employees and independent members and is supported by ex-officio members from the Civil Service.

Independent Representatives:

Mr. Lemuel Hurlston – Chair

Mr. Nicolas Joseph – Deputy Chair – Caymanian Bar Association

Mr. Adolphus Laidlow – Senior Economist, Economics and Statistics Office

Ms. Annette Murphy – University College of the Cayman Islands

Employee Representatives:

Mrs. Andrea Williams – Business and Professional Women’s Club

Mr. Stephen Tatum – Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Representative

Ms. Lauren Langlois – Female Youth Representative

Mr. Pierre Connolly – Male Youth Representative

Employer Representatives:

Mr. Ian Pairaudeau – Cayman Contractor’s Association

Mr. Woody Foster – Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce

Ms. Ahisha Bodden – Cayman Islands Society of Human Resources Professionals

Mrs. Danielle Wolfe – Cayman Islands Tourism Association

Ex-Officio Members

Mr. Mario Ebanks – Director, Department of Labour and Pensions, or his designate

Ms. Linda Evans – Chief Immigration Officer, Immigration Department, or her designate Mr. Bruce Smith, Deputy Chief Immigration Officer

Mr. Philip Scott, Senior Policy Advisor Human Capital Development, MEE&GA

Ms. Tammy Ebanks, Acting Deputy Chief Officer/Senior Policy Officer (Gender Affairs), MEE&GA (Ministry Liaison)

Mrs. Kimberly Kirkconnell – Policy Analyst, MEE&GA (Secretary)

Public Consultation

The MWAC wants your opinion on the topic of introducing a minimum wage to the Cayman Islands. Have your say by taking part in the first phase public consultation which will run from 16th October to 30th November, 2014. The Committee will host focus group sessions in Cayman Brac and Grand Cayman as well as attend various radio and TV talk shows to hear what the public has to say. District town hall meetings will be scheduled in January 2015.

 

Surveys

The MWAC has developed 5 (five) surveys targeted at specific groups due to the specific information needed. Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey that is most appropriate for you. Your answers will greatly assist the Committee in forming our recommendations.

Do you EMPLOY domestic helpers, nannies, groundkeepers, gardeners, etc. in your home in the Cayman Islands? If your answer is “yes” please take this survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MWACHHEMPER

Do you WORK AS a domestic helper, nanny, groundskeeper, gardener, etc. in a person’s home in the Cayman Islands? If your answer is “yes” please take this survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MWACHHEMPEE

Are you a Business Owner in the Cayman Islands or their representative, i.e. Partner, Director, General Manager, HR Manager, etc.? If your answer is “yes” please take this survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MWACBUSEMPER

Are you employed by a private business in the Cayman Islands? If your answer is “yes” please take this survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MWACBUSEMPEE

Are you a student, retiree, civil servant or are you currently unemployed? If your answer is “yes” please take this survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MWACGP

THE LAST DAY TO COMPLETE THE SURVEYS IS SUNDAY 30TH NOVEMBER, 2014.

Focus Groups

The details of the focus group sessions are as follows:

Saturday 25th October, 2014: Cayman Brac Session at Layman Scott Sr. High School Hall.

10:00am – 12:00pm: Morning session for Employers (Household & Business)

1:00pm – 3:00pm: Afternoon session for Employees (Household & Business) and unemployed Caymanians

Refreshments will be provided.

Thursday 30th October, 2012: Grand Cayman Session at Family Life Centre.

7:00pm – 9:00pm: For unemployed Caymanians, Youth and Household Employees

Refreshments will be provided.

Saturday 1st November, 2014: Grand Cayman Session at Family Life Centre.

10:00am – 12:00pm: Morning session for Employers (Household and Business).

1:00pm – 3:00pm: Afternoon session for Employees (Household and Business).

Refreshments will be provided.

Please call or email if you are interested in taking part in the focus groups.

Contact information:

The MWAC is happy to accept additional feedback on the topic of introducing a minimum wage to the Cayman Islands. If people would like to email their feedback or mail a letter the contact details are as follows:

Address all correspondence to the Secretary of the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee

Mail:

c/o Ministry of Education, Employment & Gender Affairs

Government Administration Building, Box 108

Grand Cayman, KY1-9000

Email:[email protected]

Phone: (345) 244-3151

Thank you for your contribution to this topic of national importance!

END

IMAGE: www.allaboutmoney.com

 

Related story:

Minimum Wage Advisory Committee launches public consultation

On 16th October, the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee (MWAC) launched its public consultation at a press conference. The Committee is seeking public opinion and information on the topic of introducing a minimum wage to the Cayman Islands.

The first phase of the public consultation will run until 30th November, 2014 followed by a second phase in January with the Committee submitting their final report to Cabinet by the end of February 2015.

To assist the MWAC in collecting the necessary data they require, they have developed five surveys, each aimed at a particular sector of the community. The five surveys are for:

1. Household Employers – for people who employ domestic helpers, nannies, groundskeepers, gardeners, etc. in their homes.
2. Household Employees – for persons who work as domestic helpers, nannies, groundskeepers, gardeners, etc. in a person’s home.
3. Business Employers – for persons who own a private sector business or their authorised representative such as HR Managers, Directors, Partners, General Managers, etc.
4. Business Employees – for persons who are employed by a private sector business.
5. General Public- aimed particularly at students, civil servants, retirees and the unemployed.

The surveys can be found online at www.education.gov.ky/minimumwage. Printed copies will also be made available at all district libraries including Cayman Brac, the Government Administration Building in George Town and the Little Cayman Post Office.

As well as attending various radio and TV talk shows over the course of the public consultation, the Committee will also host three focus group sessions. The focus groups will be held in Cayman Brac and Grand Cayman with more details being released in the near future. During the month of November, representatives from the Economics and Statistics Office will be contacting a sample of business and households on all three islands to complete the surveys, and Town Hall Meetings in each district will be held in January.

The Cayman Brac focus group session will be on Saturday 25th October at Layman Scott Sr. High School Hall. The morning session will be for both Household and Business Employers. The afternoon session will be for Household and Business Employees and unemployed Caymanians. Both sessions will be two hours in length with the morning session beginning at 10:00am and the afternoon session beginning at 1:00pm. The Grand Cayman session on Saturday 1st November will follow the same format with employees and employers being the target groups.

A third focus group session will also be held in Grand Cayman on Thursday 30th October beginning at 7:00pm. This session will focus on the youth, unemployed Caymanians and again household employees.

In order to plan accordingly for refreshments, interested persons who would like to attend the focus groups will need to register by emailing [email protected] or by calling 244-3151.