The National Tripartite Committee (NTC) which includes representatives of the Government, the employers and the labour movement, has not met since April, this year. The Committee, which would usually meet monthly, that is chaired by Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally is tasked to consider a wide-range of matters such as enactment and amendment of Labour legislation and regulations, monitor the progress of the ILO Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP), examining the labour relations situation in the country, promotion of educational activities, among other things. The Committee, over the years, has received the support of the ILO to improve its work and functioning.
At the last meeting held on April 03, 2019, which was attended by representatives from all the constituents, the Committee considered an improvement in the National Minimum Wage. As is probably known, the National Minimum Wage, which was implemented in 2013, was increased for the first time at the beginning of 2017 to $42,400 per month. At the meeting, a proposal to increase the minimum wage to $60,000 per month was unanimously approved by the Committee. The improvement sought to bring the relationship between the national minimum wage and the public sector minimum wage back into sync. When the national minimum wage was implemented in 2013, it represented 89 per cent of the then public sector minimum. Currently, the national minimum wage is just 66 per cent of the public sector minimum. Of course, that proportion will fall further as the Government has indicated that State employees will benefit from a rise in pay this year.
The Federation, over the last few months, has been eagerly anticipating the convening of the meeting to receive an official explanation regarding the, so far, non-implementation of the Committee’s decision. In the meantime, we have heard murmurs that some are averse to any improvement in pay to our nation’s lowest paid. If what we have heard is indeed true then it possibly explains the apparent non-convening of a meeting.
The FITUG is at a loss as to why is it that the Government, seemingly, doesn’t want our country’s workers to benefit from a rise in pay. Certainly, while the Administration has seen the necessity to improve the lot of its employees it has an equal concern to ensure that all workers rise together. To adopt a counter policy, for us, is to promote inequality in our country and among our people. This is a counter-intuitive approach if true.
At this time, the Federation looks to the implementation of an approved decision. Undoubtedly our nation’s workers are more than deserving and the improvement would bring about much deserved relief to our working-class.
