The Government’s investigations into undocumented workers employed in the Federation’s labour market, recently unearthed poor employment conditions and meager salaries paid at a number of business establishments.
According to Minister of Labour, the Hon. Vance Amory, investigations conducted by his Ministry, the Department of Labour and the Labour Commissioner revealed that a number of the undocumented workers are receiving salaries below that of the national minimum wage.
“The findings were that when we sent out to some workplaces, we found that there were unhealthy situations, we found that some workers were undocumented. We also found that some people were not paid their fair wages and so we have to adjust that,” Mr. Amory noted.
When the Government took office in February 2015, it sought to clamp down on illegal workers employed in the private sector.
Minister Amory had informed The Observer last year that there were a number of delinquent companies hiring the illegal immigrants, pointing out that his Ministry was looking to remedy that situation.
“We are doing that (investigation) so that we can tighten up the process, in terms of ensuring that workers who are delinquent and engaging in work illegally, that if they are eligible they can be straightened and they can continue to work,” he said.
Giving media representatives an update on the investigations at the recently held CSME workshop in Basseterre, the Minister disclosed that they are making progress in that area.
“We want people who come to the country to be properly documented. If they have the right to work, they must have the (CARICOM) Skilled Certificate – even outside of that we would want to make sure that when they come in …even for our own people that the conditions under which they work are healthy and safe,” He added.
Following that discovery, the government according to Amory is working to ensure that everyone is paid their “due wages”, adding that there is a need to establish proper conditions in the work space for a harmonious and productive workforce.
The government had targeted construction sites and tourism hotspots, such as Port Zante where they believed a number of undocumented workers are employed.
Investigations are ongoing the Minister noted, however, no timeline was given for the completion of the probe.
