Minimum wage slashed gender gap for low paid
The introduction of the minimum wage in Ireland almost 20 years ago slashed the gender pay gap for lower paid workers but not in any other wage levels.
That is according to a report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) examining the impact of the introduction of the national minimum wage on the gender pay gap when it was introduced in Ireland and the UK.
Source: Irish Examiner
National Minimum Wage to come into effect on 1 January 2019
The proclamation of the long-awaited National Minimum Wage is a victory for workers, said President Cyril Ramaphosa. The President on Friday made the announcement that the national minimum wage would come into effect on 1 January 2019.
“We have gathered here to declare that from the 1st of January 2019, no worker may be paid below the national minimum wage,” he told those attending the ceremony in Kliptown, Soweto.
Work on the national minimum wage this was so as to fulfil the 1955 Congress of the People declaration made in 1955 that there would be a minimum wage for all workers. South Africa said President Ramaphosa had now gathered at the venue where the declaration was made more than six decades later, to fulfil that promise.
Source: S A new.gov.za
Opinion: Making the business case for a $15 minimum Wage
In today’s world, the primary beneficiaries of minimum wage increases are not teenagers. Instead, they are adults and parents who are trying to meet their monthly rent, food and health care expenditures. Research on the minimum wage finds job losses associated with modest increases to the minimum wage are small – if they are present at all. Further, an increase does not trigger a spike in inflation and minimum wage increases are more likely to occur during times of plenty.
These rationales played a key role in getting New Jersey, along with 28 other states and the District of Columbia to increase their minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Unfortunately, these rationales have become less persuasive in efforts to increase our state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour. At $8.44 per hour, our state’s minimum wage is far below peer states like New York, Connecticut, and California that have a similar cost of living. Further, Massachusetts has also passed a higher wage, and most recently two states with Republican administrations have done the same.
Source: North Jersey
Aurora Health Care’s minimum wage raised to $15 per hour
Milwaukee’s Aurora Health Care is going to make their employees very happy, as the company will increase their minimum wage to $15 per hour.
According to our partners at The Milwaukee Business Journal, this change will not take place until 2021, however, Aurora’s interim pay will increase to $13 per hour by 2019 and $14 per hour by 2020.
Advocate Aurora Health said, “our goal is to be a destination employer where our team members feel valued, have opportunities for growth and connect with our values and purpose-driven culture.”
Source: TMJ4
Minimum Wage in Croatia Raised to 3,000 Kuna
At the government session on Friday, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced an increase in the net minimum wage from 2,752 kuna to 3,000 kuna, an increase of 248 kuna or 9% compared to 2018, underscoring that this is the largest one-off increase in the minimum wage since 2008.
“We will endorse a decision that will increase the minimum wage which currently amounts to 2,752 kuna net, to 3,000 kuna net. This is an increase of 248 kuna or nine per cent compared to 2018. The gross amount that today totals 3,440 kuna will be 3,750 kuna, an increase of 310 kuna,” Plenković said. This is the highest one-off increase of the minimum wage since 2008, the prime minister underscored. Expressed in the euro, following the increase the minimum wage will amount to 404 euro net or 505 gross.
Source: Total Croatia News
Ascendant House Democrats say they want a $15 minimum wage and won’t compromise
Key House Democrats say they won’t compromise on their demand for a $15-an-hour minimum wage when they take the majority next Congress.
President Trump has voiced support for a more modest increase to the federal minimum wage rate of $7.25 an hour. Meanwhile, the Senate will include seven Republican lawmakers from states with minimum wages at or soon to be at $11 an hour, who may be interested in a compromise.
But it’s $15 or nothing, the Democrats say. Stephanie Lalle, the spokeswoman for Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., who is in line to take over the chairmanship of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said he will be reintroducing a $15 minimum wage bill next year
Source: Washington Examiner
Taiwan – Ministry of labour announces Minimum Wage draft bill (Taiwan news)
Taiwan’s Ministry of Labour announced a national minimum wage draft bill today, which seeks to set a new mechanism to determine the minimum wage, and calls for fines of up to NTD 1 million (USD 32,441) for employers who violate the law, reports Taiwan News. The objective of the draft minimum wage law is to establish a legal framework for the setting of the benchmark for the salaries of employees.
The Ministry of Labour also announced that an amendment to the Employment Services Act will take effect from today which will require employers in Taiwan to disclose salary ranges for positions offering less than NTD 40,000 (USD 1,297) monthly salary, or they risk a minimum fine of NTD 60,000 (USD 1,946), with fines as high as NTD 300,000 (USD 9,732) possible.
The law was amended to ensure information transparency regarding regular earnings in Taiwan. The Ministry added that it will help improve communication between job seekers and employers while making talent recruitment more efficient.
Source: Staffing Industry
How a $15 minimum wage may affect some shore businesses
A bill in the works to boost the minimum wage to $15 per hour has some seasonal shore businesses worried. “It’s definitely going to negatively impact us,” said Chris Connelly, manager of Ripley’s Believe it or Not! on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. “We would have to raise the price of a ticket.”
Proponents of increasing the minimum wage contend it would boost spending in local economies and take pressure off state and federal assistance programs. Opponents say it would increase service costs for seasonal Jersey Shore businesses that rely heavily on three months of summer tourism.
Source: Money
Pre-tax losses at Transdev increase by 74% after pay hikes
Pay hikes for Luas drivers as a result of a Labour Court recommendation helped to almost double pre-tax losses at Luas firm, Transdev last year.
New accounts filed by Transdev Dublin Light Rail Ltd with the Companies Office show that pre-tax losses at the company increased by 74% from €350,538 to €609,301 last year.
The Luas Cross City opened last December and this contributed to revenues at the firm increasing by 6% from €31.22m to €33m last year. The revenue increase followed the numbers of passengers going on the Luas increasing by 10.26% to 37.7m. Numbers employed by the firm last year increased from 292 to 324 with staff costs increasing by 15.5% from €14.56m to €16.82m.
Source: Breaking News
Ochsner hikes minimum wage by $4 an hour to $12
Louisiana’s largest nonprofit health care system says it is raising its minimum wage to $12 per hour. The New Orleans Advocate reports that Ochsner Health System made the announcement Thursday. The move is effective Jan. 20 and will affect more than 1,200 employees across the system. Ochsner is also the state’s largest private employer. The legal minimum wage is currently at $7.25 but Ochsner was already paying a minimum of $8.10 per hour.
Source: WBRZ2
Pay workers a ‘living wage’ of HK$54.70, Hong Kong employers urged
Hongkongers must be paid at least HK$54.70 (US$7) an hour to ensure a basic standard of living, 58 per cent higher than the minimum wage, a study has found. But the onus was on employers to make it happen voluntarily, and not on the government to legislate, the pollsters said.
Oxfam and Chinese University conducted five focus group discussions with a total of 36 people from poor families, from November 2017 to February this year to look at how much they normally spend on basic necessities such as food, transport and rent.
The “living wage” study found that basic monthly expenses for a single person were between HK$10,494 and HK$11,548, while that for a three-person family was between HK$19,935 and HK$21,156.
Source: South China Morning Post
Virtua takes minimum wage to $15 an hour, and a little more
With the New Jersey legislature scheduled to hold a public hearing Monday on raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, more private sector businesses are doing so on their own. The Virtua health care system will go a tad higher than most, raising its minimum wage to come January First to $15 dollars and 15 cents.
“We have been contemplating some type of wage adjustment for a while,” CEO Dennis Pullin told KYW Newsradio. “Recognizing that there’s a lot of statewide conversation that’s currently taking place and there have been other entities that have advanced the ball, we just felt it was timely and appropriate for us to do so as well.”
Source: KYW NewsRadio
Budget 2019: Presidency set to present minimum wage bill to NASS
President Muhammadu Buhari says a bill on the implementation of the new minimum wage would soon be sent to the National Assembly for passage.
Buhari made this known while presenting the 2019 Budget before the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.
He assured that he was committed to addressing the minimum wage issue, saying he had directed the setting up of a technical committee to look at the mode of implementation. “To avoid a crisis, it is important to devise ways to ensure that its implementation does not lead to an increase in the level of borrowing.
Source: Punch
Ramaphosa announces minimum wage to kick in from January 1
President Cyril Ramaphosa said in Kliptown, Soweto, today that the national minimum wage will have to be paid to workers from the start of January.
Under the new law, employers will have to pay their staff a minimum wage of R20 an hour with the exception of sectors such as the farm/forestry, domestic and expanded public works programme workers, that have been given a longer transition period to pay R18, R15 and R11 per hour respectively.
“No worker may be paid below the national minimum wage,” he said, which he added would help to deal with some of South Africa’s challenges and create a social part of a social contract for the future of work. Consensus on the minimum wage was reached by stakeholders under the auspices of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) and has been set at R20 an hour.
Source: The Citizen
State’s largest employer, Christiana Care, to increase the minimum wage to $15 in February
Christiana Care Health System — the largest private employer in Delaware — will raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour, starting February 2019, officials said Monday.
This change will affect the wages of 500 current employees, mostly those who have clerical, technical and service roles. The health system, which employs a total of 12,000 people, is the first hospital system to make this pledge in the state, officials said.
The new wage increase is significantly higher than the federal and state minimum wage, which is $7.25 and $8.25 an hour, respectively. The state’s minimum wage will increase to $9.25 on Oct. 1, 2019.
Source: Delaware Online
Mexico doubles minimum wage in northern border zones
Mexico’s new government is increasing minimum wages across the country by 16 per cent and doubling the minimum wage in a narrow stretch of territory along the border with the United States, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tuesday.
Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec. 1, said the minimum wage had lost 70 per cent of its purchasing power over the last three decades following devaluations and economic crises. He noted that three decades ago, a day’s wage could buy 50 kilograms of tortillas, and today, it buys only 6 kilograms.
The minimum is currently equivalent to $4.40 per day and will rise to $5.10 in January. At that level, it remains among the lower minimum wages in Latin America.
Source: KVIA
Historic Minimum Wage announcement a huge relief for working Kiwis
After decades of working Kiwi’s incomes declining relative to the slice of income taken by shareholders, the Government has announced a plan that will help catch wages up, said Council of Trade Unions President Richard Wagstaff.
“The historic increase to the minimum wage from the 1st of April next year will in real terms mean shoes on the feet and bread on the tables of the people in New Zealand who have really been doing it tough,” Wagstaff said.
“Often it is people with young families, high rents, transport costs and extremely long hours, particularly women, who are scraping by on the bare minimum. Most people in New Zealand are appalled at the development of the ‘working poor’ – those who are doing everything to keep afloat, but the minimum wage has simply been too low to sustain a dignified life in the face of rising costs.”
Source: Union Org
Plan to delay Minimum Wage hike defeated
A plan to hit the pause button on Mountain View’s minimum wage increase was swiftly shot down at the Tuesday, Dec. 4, City Council meeting. The proposal died without a motion that would have brought it to a vote.
It was discussion that harkened back to three years ago, when Mountain View was in the vanguard of Silicon Valley cities raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour, an attempt to keep pace with the surging cost of living.
Source: Mountain View Voice
Govt launches Punjab Labour Policy today
The Punjab government is going to launch ‘Punjab Labour Policy 2018’ today with emphasis on simplifying the existing labour legislation, improving its enforcement through revamping inspection, and rationalisation of labour wages with a shift towards living fair wage.
It will be the first policy of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Punjab government on Labour after assuming power in August. According to the policy, a copy of which is available with The Nation, provincial Labour and Human Resource Department will be focusing on formulating the occupational health and safety of labourers and prioritise ‘gradual elimination of child labour’.
The document is full of plans and promises with the hope of formulating a strategy to protect labour rights. The provincial government has also pulled up the socks to abolish bonded labour from the province but no roadmap has been given in the policy except the establishment of welfare fund against the bonded labours.
Source: The Nation
New guidance on labour standards and workers rights published
The International Bar Association Global Employment Institute and the International Organisation of Employers have published new guidance for firms on International Labour Standards (ILS). The ILS are legal instruments, set by the International Labour Organization (ILO) which protect basic workers rights and address the need for sustainable enterprises to create jobs. They are either conventions, which are legally binding international treaties or recommendations which serve as non-binding guidelines.
In the jointly published report, the two organisations outline the purpose of the standards; how they are implemented, supervised and interpreted; and how they affect companies that refer to them in their codes of conduct, international framework agreements and/or other corporate social responsibility instruments. The report also provides examples of legal challenges companies may face when references are made to ILS in national law, IFAs or codes of conduct.
Source: Insight
Qatar ‘has modified’ controversial labour laws after World Cup outcry
NGOs have often called Qatar’s human rights record into question when it comes to the country’s two million migrant workers.
But a recent Amnesty International report said the Gulf state’s government had committed to align its labour laws with international labour standards and change its ill-famed sponsorship system, known as the kefala system.
The kefala system was widely criticised by human rights NGOs because it tied each individual worker to a specific employer.
Source: Euro News
New Jersey Assembly Speaker Pushes $15 Minimum Wage Bill
The top Democrat in the New Jersey General Assembly wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2024, with some exceptions, according to legislation introduced Thursday.
New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin is proposing phasing in the minimum wage to reach $15 by 2029 for other workers, including those younger than 18 years of age, farmworkers, seasonal workers and employees who work at businesses with fewer than 10 employees.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Ramaphosa to announce an effective date for Minimum Wage implementation
President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Friday announce the effective date for the implementation of the national minimum wage.
Ramaphosa signed the national minimum wage bill into law last month along with the Basic Conditions of Employment Amendment Bill and the Labour Relations Amendment Bill.
This will mark an increase in income for more than 6 million workers who earn less than R20 an hour or R3,700 per month.
Source: EyeWitness
Pakistan sets Dh800 base salary for workers
A minimum wage of Dh800 has been established for Pakistani workers along with benefits, said Pakistani Ambassador to the UAE Moazzam Ahmad Khan.
Labour contracts of Pakistani nationals will be processed for jobs in UAE only if the minimum wage condition is met, he said while speaking to the community at an event hosted in honour of Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser at the Pakistan Consulate on Wednesday evening.
“The minimum wage requirement has been in place for over a year and this has been done to stop the exploitation of labourers who sometimes work at very low wages,” he said, adding that the Pakistan government had approved the requirement.
Source: Khaleej Times
Paying Out a Year-End Bonus or an Incentive Payment: Can an Employer Withhold the Money from the Employee Who Took FMLA Leave?
It’s the end of the year, which means bonus time.
Or perhaps instead you want to offer a pay incentive to employees to improve attendance or production? Take, for instance, a point-based attendance bonus policy in which employees are assessed points for every tardiness or absence (even for FMLA or ADA-covered leave), which, in turn, disqualifies an employee from receiving the incentive.
Source: JDSPURA
Labour passes encryption bill as Morrison dodges lower house vote on Nauru
Labor has waved through the Morrison government’s encryption bill, capping off a day of high political drama where the prime minister managed to avoid a de facto vote of no confidence in the Coalition in the lower house.
A Senate filibuster thwarted efforts by the non-government parties to pass legislation that would have removed refugees from Nauru and Manus Island, forcing a situation where an incumbent government would have lost a substantive vote for the first time in almost 90 years.
With Scott Morrison’s authority on the line on the final parliamentary sitting day for 2018, the government went into overdrive to try and head off the defeat.
Source: The Guardian
New guidance on labour standards and workers rights published
Terrence Wiggins is trying to support his family, but it’s been difficult.
The 24-year-old graduate of Olney High School left his job at a Target store two weeks ago because the company couldn’t accommodate his schedule — he’s only able to work daytime hours because in the evenings, he has to take care of a nephew who has cerebral palsy. Now, he works at Ross on City Avenue, where he’s in charge of making sure people don’t steal. But because he’s only getting 25 hours, he makes about $200 each week. His managers said they’re trying to make him full-time.
Source: The Uniquer
Myanmar minimum wage and employment contracts: Steps towards HR management modernization
As Myanmar steadily develops after rejoining the global economic community, foreign investors are becoming more and more interested in doing business there, thanks, in part, to the low cost of labour and high potential for growth. Any investor interested in doing so, however, should be aware of the speed of legal change there and be careful to keep up-to-date.
Myanmar’s employment law is based on a bedrock of old (sometimes colonial) legislation that is progressively being superseded by modern laws and regulations. It can also, at times, be heavily affected by the internal policies and practices of the Department of Labour of the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population (commonly referred to as the Ministry of Labour). Therefore, it is very important for companies to be aware not only of the latest legislation as it modernises but also of the workings of the Ministry of Labour. More importantly, it is vital to keep abreast of new legislation, or the Ministry of Labour policy, in order to remain compliant in this rapidly developing environment.
Source: Bangkok Post
New York Employer Compensation Expense Program Registration Ends December 1
The 2017 federal tax legislation, commonly referred to as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” caps an individual’s itemized deduction for state and local taxes at $10,000 per year for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, through 2025. In an effort to mitigate the effects of this deduction limitation, the New York State (NYS) legislature established the Employer Compensation Expense Program (ECEP) in the state’s 2018–2019 Fiscal Year Budget Bill,[1]which was signed into law on April 12, 2018, by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Subsequently, the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance issued guidance further explaining the provisions of the ECEP.
Source: JDSPURA
Fremont City Council advances two options to increase minimum wage faster than California
Setting the stage to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in the city, the Fremont City Council has directed staff to draft two ordinances to move it along on a faster timeline than the state’s 2023 deadline.
One potential ordinance would require all employers in the city to pay employees $15 per hour, likely by July 2020, though a date wasn’t specified.
The other ordinance would require large businesses with 26 or more employees to meet a faster schedule, while slowing the pace of change for small businesses with 25 or fewer employees.
The city’s current minimum wage follows state law, which is $10.50 per hour for small businesses, and $11 per hour for large businesses. The state will require large businesses to increase pay annually to reach $15 per hour by Jan. 1, 2022, and all businesses to do so by Jan. 1, 2023.
Source: East Bay Times
Minimum Wage: No longer negotiable
The last few months, the media has been awash with reports about the negotiation of a new national minimum wage. The Nigeria Labour Congress at the conclusion of negotiation announced that it had agreed with other social partners; private employers under the auspices of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association and Government. Organized labour represented by the labour centres, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress agitated for the negotiation of a new minimum wage which in any case is long overdue. Labour made a demand for N66,500.
Source: Vanguard
New guidance on labour standards and workers rights published
The International Bar Association Global Employment Institute and the International Organisation of Employers have published new guidance for firms on International Labour Standards (ILS). The ILS are legal instruments, set by the International Labour Organization (ILO) which protect basic workers rights and address the need for sustainable enterprises to create jobs. They are either conventions, which are legally binding international treaties or recommendations which serve as non-binding guidelines.
In the jointly published report, the two organisations outline the purpose of the standards; how they are implemented, supervised and interpreted; and how they affect companies that refer to them in their codes of conduct, international framework agreements and/or other corporate social responsibility instruments. The report also provides examples of legal challenges companies may face when references are made to ILS in national law, IFAs or codes of conduct.
Source: Insight
New Minimum Wage: FG gives update on implementing N30000
Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) made this known on Thursday in Abuja at the opening of a one-day symposium on the 25th anniversary of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) which has “Overcoming the Challenges of
Compensation and Productivity in Nigeria” as its theme.
Represented by Mr Olusegun Adekunle, the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Office of the SGF, the SGF said that the present administration was committed to the welfare of Nigerian workers, NAN reports.
Source: Daily Post
Spain’s minimum wage to jump 22% in new year
It means millions of low-paid workers could see a pay rise from €736 ($835; £665) to €900, effective from January.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the increase on Wednesday, declaring “a rich country cannot have poor workers”.
The announcement comes two days after France’s president Emmanuel Macron announced a €100 increase for minimum wage earners from 2019.
Mr Macron’s move came after weeks of sometimes violent protests from the “gilets jaunes” movement against high costs of living.
Source: BBC News
SC lawmaker proposes bill to raise state’s minimum wage
South Carolina is one of several states without a minimum wage law which means the federally mandated wage of $7.25 is still in play for many businesses and companies. That’s why a South Carolina lawmaker is hoping to increase the minimum wage.
Representative Wendy Brawley (D) of Hopkins says “We have to make sure that people who are working and willing to work are making a livable wage. I know people who work two jobs and are still not making $15 an hour.”
Right now the minimum wage in South Carolina is $7.25 cents which have been mandated by the federal government for the past 10 years. But Midlands lawmaker Brawley says that number is only hurting families in South Carolina and needs to increase.
Source: WSAV3 on your side
Christiana Care raises minimum wage to $15 an hour
Christiana Care Health System is increasing its minimum wage to $15 an hour effective Feb. 1, 2019. The increase affects 500 current employees. With this pay increase, all Christiana Care employees will be at or above a $15 an hour wage.
Christiana Care is the largest private employer in Delaware with nearly 12,000 employees and is the first health system in Delaware to make this commitment.
Source: Christina Care News
How much you will be fined for not paying minimum wage – and other labour laws coming into effect in the new year
The National Minimum Wage Act and the Labour Relations Amendment Act were officially gazetted on Wednesday (12 December), with both pieces of legislation now set to come into effect from 1 January 2019.
The National Minimum Wage Act (NMWA) aims to address the income disparities in the South African labour market by introducing a national minimum wage.
Read together with certain sections of the Basic Conditions of Employment Amendment Act, the NMWA states that employees will be entitled to R20 for each ordinary hour worked.
Source: Business Tech
Cleveland Clinic raising minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020
The Cleveland Clinic is raising the minimum wage for employees to $15 by 2020.
In January, the hourly rate for 1,900 employees – referred to as “caregivers” by the Clinic – will increase to $14 per hour. In 2020, the hourly wage will increase to $15 per hour for all of the Clinic’s hourly employees, which totals 2,900.
“This is targeted for employees who make less than $15 per hour,” explained Eileen Sheil, executive director of corporate communications for the Clinic. Those entry-level positions include environmental services workers and patient care nursing assistants, among others.
Source: Cleveland.com
Non-compliance of employment law could be costly
Employers, don’t get caught out! It pays to comply with minimum employment standards. Compliance by employers with minimum employment standards is a serious concern for the Labour Inspectorate.
Heavy penalties
Penalties for non-compliance can be up to $100,000 (for a company) and even more for financial gain, plus the risk of negative publicity and hiring bans. Employers are being warned about the importance and consequences of meeting their minimum employment standards obligations. The Labour Inspectorate is active in enforcing these obligations. Ministry of Business, Immigration & Employment (MBIE) Labour Inspectorate National Manager Stu Lumsden said that breaches of employees’ rights will not be tolerated in New Zealand.
Source: Indian NewsLink
SC lawmaker wants to raise the minimum wage to $12/hr; a proposal that has failed in the past
South Carolina is one of several states without a minimum wage law, which means the federally mandated minimum wage of $7.25 is still in place for many businesses and companies. So a South Carolina lawmaker is hoping to increase the minimum wage and ultimately solve many problems communities in the state are facing.
“We have to make sure that people who are working and willing to work are making a livable wage. I know people who work 2 jobs and are still not making $15 an hour,” said Midlands Representative Wendy Brawley explaining her motivation behind filing the minimum wage bill. Brawley believes the low wage is hurting families and needs to increase.
Source: 7 News WSPA
UNC Health Care to raise the Minimum Wage to $15 for 9,000 employees
UNC Health Care announced Tuesday its plans to boost employees’ minimum hourly wage to $15 next year. The minimum wage will be adjusted to $14 per hour on Jan. 13, 2019, then to $15 in July 2019, officials announced. The new rate of pay is more than double the federal and state minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
“We are committed to providing a competitive living wage to support our workforce,” said Dr Bill Roper, CEO of UNC Health Care. “We are proud to employ the best people to fulfil our mission of caring for patients and their families, and offering a higher living wage is an important step we are able to take.”
Source: WRAL.com
Dockworkers to get redundancy, retirement benefits
Dockworkers in the maritime industry are to enjoy redundancy and retirement benefits from 2019.
It was part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to improve the welfare of dock workers in line with global best practices between the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and other maritime associations under the aegis of National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC).
The agreement, which was carefully documented, involves increases in their wages, allowances and certain emoluments and benefits.
Source: New Telegraph
Dems look to boost New Mexico’s Minimum Wage
Democrats campaigned on raising New Mexico’s minimum wage. Now, after big wins in last month’s election, the question is: How high? Two lawmakers have filed separate bills ahead of the legislative session set to begin in mid-January, with one proposing to boost the statewide minimum to $12 an hour, phased in over the next few years, and another calling for $15 an hour. Both would end the lower minimum wage for tipped workers, such as waiters.
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican
Florida’s minimum wage is rising on Jan. 1
Floridians who get minimum wage will start 2019 with more in their paychecks. Effective Jan. 1, the minimum wage in Florida is $8.46, up from $8.25. In 2017, the rate was $8.10. The minimum wage is recalculated every year on Sept. 30 based on the Consumer Price Index.
Employees who are not paid the minimum wage may bring a civil action against their employer or any person violating Florida’s minimum wage law.
Source: 10 News