Cayman’s minimum wage report will not be heading to Parliament for debate on Monday, but will instead be released for public comment, further delaying any increase in the existing wage, which has been described as below the ‘starvation rate’.
This delay in seeing any changes to the $6-an-hour pay has left some, like the security guard who spoke with the Cayman Compass during our series on the issue last September, without hope that anything would change.
“They say they want to review it again. What more do they need to review?” he said in a recent interview.
The Compass understands that plans are under way to have the report released to the public for feedback at the end of this month, which follows Labour Minister Dwayne Seymour’s declaration in December that further review of the report was needed.
Deputy Opposition Leader Joey Hew has filed a parliamentary question, which is listed for the next sitting of the House on Monday, 26 Feb., on the status of the report following weeks of silence on its future.
In his question, one of 21 filed by the Opposition, Hew is seeking formal confirmation on when the report’s recommendations will be put forward and the document made public.
However, for the security guard and others like him, waiting for change is not an option.
He said he’s had to move into cheaper accommodation since the Compass’ last article on the subject, as bills continue to increase.
“Everything has gone up, but our pay is not budging,” he said. “It has been so many years since they put in the minimum wage and things haven’t changed… Some of us have been hanging on for it to go up, but other people have been saying … that nothing would happen. It is not just expats; Caymanians earn minimum wage too.”
Seymour, in his assessment on the issue, suggested that “only 23%” of those earning minimum wage are Caymanian, while 77% were “transient” workers.
A Labour Ministry spokesperson, responding to Compass queries on the status of the report, said representatives from the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee will be promoting the document and fielding questions and feedback over a period of time, which will be announced soon.
Second Row L-R: Mr. Dennis Caum, Mr. Shomari Scott, Ms. Mahreen Nabi, Ms. Monina Thompson, Ms. Shan Whittaker
Front Row L-R : Mr. Philip Jackson, Deputy Chair Ms. Tonicia Williams, Chairman Mr. Lemuel Hurlston, Mr. Herbert Crawford, Ms. Lydia Myrie, and Ms. Wendy Moore
Missing from Photo: Ms. Cathrine Welds
“Once the public has had a chance to digest the recommendations and provide feedback, Cabinet will determine which recommendations will be implemented, and when,” the spokesperson stated via email.
There’s been no explanation on the need for further public consultation on the report nor what the minister is seeking to glean from the feedback.
The security guard suggests that further consultation is unnecessary.
“They had the report done in October; they already consulted with everybody. It’s obvious $6 an hour is not enough,” he said.
The spending power of those six dollars continued to decline, he added, saying even a pack of Frosted Flakes has almost doubled in price since last summer.
Overdue review
Hew, speaking with the Compass on Wednesday, 21 Feb., said the fact that the report is being made public for feedback is an indication that there is no “consensus” in Cabinet on the recommendations from the wage review committee.
Though he said it was not unusual to seek public comment on recommendations, the length of time that the process has taken already will further delay any changes to the minimum wage.
“This has been a long-awaited report. It’s in the public’s interest, and we hope that, once the report has been released, the government will move swiftly to start a public consultation and come to a decision,” he said.
The minimum wage committee, the Compass understands, will be holding a press conference to discuss the report when it’s made public; however, no official date has been set.
Last September, the Compass ran an investigative series, highlighting many of the challenges for minimum wage workers, while the committee tasked with reviewing the issue researched and reported its recommendations.
Seymour, who has been publicly opposed to changes to the wage, proposed a further review during his budget debate contribution in December, saying it was needed to prevent any “mistake” being made and avoid increasing the burden on Caymanians.
Cayman’s minimum wage of $6 per hour was introduced for the first time in 2016, and this has not been revised since.
The minimum wage report was generated after a year-long process of public consultation and review conducted by the Minimum Wage Review Committee led by chairman Lemuel Hurlston.
Hurlston, in an interview in June last year said, based on Economic and Statistics Office data, Cayman’s “starvation income or starvation wage” stands at around $6.50, which is 50 cents higher than the current $6-an-hour minimum wage.
The report was delivered to Cabinet last November. However, shortly thereafter, the government, helmed by then Premier Wayne Panton, underwent a change in leadership and so, too, did the labour ministry, with Seymour taking over from Isaac Rankine.
Additional reporting by James Whittaker.
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