Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.
DEAR HR…
My daughter has been working for the past year in a customer service role. My concern is that her pay varies some weeks and she has not been receiving a pay-slip, so it is difficult to see what is really happening.
As is stands, the national minimum wage does not vary. Effective April 1, 2021, under the Minimum Wage (National and Sectoral Minimum Wage) Order 2021, there is a government-mandated minimum wage and no worker in the island can be paid less than this mandatory rate of pay. The order mandates that no worker in Barbados can be paid less than $ 340.00 per week if the worker is weekly paid, $68.00 per day if the worker is paid daily and $ 8.50 per hour if the worker is hourly paid. A minimum overtime rate of $12.75 per hour (or part thereof) is specified for ordinary working days and a minimum of $17.00 per hour (or part thereof) for public holidays. Along with the national minimum wage that was announced, a sectoral minimum rate of $ 9.25 per hour was mandated for security officers with a minimum overtime rate of $13.88 per hour (or part thereof) and a minimum of $18.50 per hour (or part thereof) for public holidays. This means that anyone who is not a security officer should be receiving, at minimum, $8.50 per hour. It should also mean that persons who are engaged monthly should be earning no less than $ 1,473.33 per month. With the mandate given, it is left to employers to honour the order which has been made. The best way to ensure this is done is for employees to be aware of what their minimum pay should be.
You did mention that your daughter’s wage varies from week to week. Despite there being a national minimum wage in place, it is possible that the earnings of an employee who is hourly paid may change week over week depending on the number of hours he/she works. Additionally, despite having fixed hours of work, it will be necessary to find out about any other company policies which could possibly impact the amount she receives. For example, if she has been absent from work for any reason, as an hourly paid employee she will be paid only for the hours she is at work.
By law, all employees should receive pay-slips from their employers – either before or at the time they are paid.
The pay-slip must contain:
- The employee’s gross pay before any statutory deductions are made
- The employee’s net pay (“take home” pay) after the deductions are made.
- Any other authorised deductions and the purposes for which the deductions are made, for example, any personal loans.
- The payment period i.e. whether the employee is paid monthly, bi-weekly or weekly.
- The date of payment i.e. the date on which the employee is paid based on the payment period.
The pay-slip may also contain:
- The employee’s name, and sometimes a home address.
- A payroll number which identifies him/her in the company’s payroll system.
- The employee’s National Insurance number
- Any contributions to a pension scheme or medical insurance plan
- A running total (year to date figure) of all deductions and payments made to the employee for that financial or calendar year.
Where the employer fails to provide a pay-slip or where the pay-slip given fails to provide the required details, an employee can take the matter to the Labour Department or to the Employment Rights Tribunal. You must also note that the pay-slip does not necessarily have to be provided on paper. It can instead be e-mailed or made available for the employee’s access via a confidential electronic portal. With this being the case, you will need to confirm that the pay-slip is not being shared with her via any of these electronic methods.
You also need to explain to your daughter what your concerns are because, as long as she understands what should happen, she will be in a better position to raise and articulate the concerns with her superiors. Many workplace problems can be resolved informally, for example through a quiet conversation. In fact, your daughter can consider raising the matter informally by telling her line manager or someone in HR who may be able to explain or resolve any issues which may be surrounding her pay and pay-slip. She can also raise the grievance formally by following the workplace grievance policy. If her workplace does not have such a policy in place, she should raise the issues of concern with a manager – either her own manager or her HR manager. Whether she raises the matters informally or formally, in each case, she should make a note of the conversations (and when they take place), the responses or explanations she receives and any next steps that her managers or HR identify. She should also let them know if any of the issues she raises remain unresolved.
As the employee, it will be up to your daughter to put her case and ensure the matters raised are followed up until they are fully resolved.
About Lifeline Labour Solutions: Lifeline Labour Solutions is a boutique partnership providing people management solutions to workplace challenges Partners Carol-Ann Jordan and Jacqueline Belgrave are established practitioners with a wealth of knowledge and experience in Employment Relations, Labour Relations and Human Resource Management between them. Email: info@ lifelinelabour.
