Following reports that 36 complaints were lodged at the Labour Ministry for non-compliance with the new minimum wage in the first 12 days of the year, the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA), is now urging the Ministry to get serious with companies that have failed to pay workers.
The minimum wage rose from $17.50 to $20.50 on January 1st.
Business owners found in breach of the law could be fined $15,000, however several have allegedly failed to uphold the law.
According to complaints, the biggest breachers are employees in the retail sector, restaurant and fast foods sector, the service sector, private security, tyre shops, and domestic industry.
The ministry has also received complaints that some employees were reportedly terminated after requesting an increase to reflect the change.
DOMA head, Gregory Aboud, said Government should act against rogue employers.
“I would like to suggest that the ministry needs to take a very tough stand in the early part of this implementation phase, so that anyone who is thinking about not obeying the new minimum wages order would be discouraged from doing so by the ministry’s very immediate action to counteract anybody who is disobeying the order.”
He also noted that the ministry could take the initiative and reach out to employees, although he believes many businesses had no issue with paying the minimum wage.
“They’re free to go into the field and do their own onsite interviews and so on. But I’m sure that persons who are not receiving the minimum wage according to the new order will be very motivated to make that information known to the ministry,” he said.