Humphrey: Wage Bill protects workers’ dignity

Minister of Transport and Works Kirk Humphrey has thrown his support behind the Protection of Wages Bill, calling it “fundamental to human dignity”.

Speaking on the bill’s introduction in the House of Assembly on Tuesday, Humphrey said the legislation was about far more than technical changes to labour laws, stating that it sought to protect workers’ rights in a rapidly changing world while ensuring they are treated fairly and with dignity.

Praising labour minister Colin Jordan for what he described as his commitment to strengthening workers’ rights through legislation, Humphrey argued that labour deserved special protection because workers depended on their wages to meet their daily needs:

“Labour is different. Land does not have a family. Land does not have to go to the supermarket at the end of the day… Buildings don’t get up on mornings and dream dreams for their children. Labour is different.”

Workers could not afford delays in receiving their wages, he said, recalling a constituent’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, when their salary was delayed.

“Because she could not pay the internet bill because her salary was late, her child could not get an education. That is the reality of labour.”

Humphrey also defended the bill’s provisions recognising direct deposits and allowing workers to choose the bank into which their wages are paid.

“Technology should make it easier to pay workers, but it should not make it easier to deny them their rights. I like that this bill allows the employee certain freedom because it recognises that the wages, though paid by the employer, are owned by the employee… I get to tell you how I want my money.”

Humphrey also supported provisions that limited excessive coin payments, saying workers deserved respect after earning their wages.

“I get to tell you that I don’t want my money in bare coins. I get to tell you under this bill now that you can’t pay me any more than $10 in coins.”

In Humphrey’s view, the legislation also strikes a fair balance by allowing employers to recover accidental overpayments through lawful processes while preventing deductions that would place undue hardship on workers.

“This bill is really essentially about fairness. If you want to do it, let’s come to terms. The bill requires some consent.”

Humphrey welcomed the provisions in the bill that protect employees when companies become insolvent, arguing that workers should not suffer because of poor business decisions beyond their control.

“It should never be so, and I like that this bill protects the employee in those circumstances.”

He also praised measures requiring notices to be made accessible to people with disabilities, saying inclusion was more a matter of rights than charity:

“The accessibility that is built into this bill is not charity… it is your right.”

(LG)