Tribunal ‘volunteers’ get major pay hike

| 13/09/2023 | 20 Comments

(CNS): Cabinet has granted a significant increase in the money paid to members of the Labour Tribunal (LT) and the Labour Appeals Tribunal (LAT) for attending meetings, effective from the beginning of this month. While the members of these boards are volunteers, they are paid a fee for attending each meeting. This has been increased from CI$100 to CI$200 for members, while the chair and deputy of each board, who previously received CI$125, will now get $400 and $300, respectively.

Officials from the Ministry of Labour said the decision to increase the payments reflects the government’s recognition of the vital role members of these tribunals play in resolving labour disputes and ensuring fair treatment for all parties involved. Labour tribunals have long been at the forefront of resolving intricate disputes that arise in labour relations, the officials added in a press release.

“These committed individuals, with their extensive expertise and dedication to upholding fair labour practices, contribute immeasurably to maintaining harmonious workplace environments. This, in turn, bolsters good governance by fostering transparency, fairness, and efficiency, thus paving the way for a more effective government,” officials stated.

The pay hike is expected to help the government attract more qualified people to give their time for the work of these important and busy tribunals.  

Labour Minister Dwayne Seymour said the government appreciated the commitment of members. “Their voluntary service in resolving complex labour disputes is instrumental in maintaining the delicate balance between workers’ rights and employer interests,” he said. “We believe that this increase in remuneration payments is a small token of our appreciation for their invaluable contributions.”

The Labour Tribunal, which is governed by the Labour Act (2021 Revision) and the Labour Tribunals Regulations (2012 Revision) (The Regulations), hears labour complaints from employers and employees, dealing with matters of unfair dismissal, severance pay and retirement or resignation allowance. Following the filing of an official complaint with the Department of Labour and Pensions, the DLP director will refer the matter to the LT.

The Labour Appeals Tribunal hears appeals against decisions of a Labour Tribunal. Its members are appointed by the governor and hold office for one year, though they may be re-appointed from time to time for further one-year periods.

See the amendment to the regulations here and the current membership of both tribunals here.


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Comments (20)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Breaks in the schools, Cayman Airways going further into debt. Racism a live and well in the cabinet. Roads not finished. Mount Trashmore growing. School system giving diplomas to half educated children.

    Cabinet is wasting more tax payer money.

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  2. Anonymous says:

    This is peanuts, I hear the HSA Board is where it’s at. It is a gravy train under this PACK government.

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  3. Anonymous says:

    I wonder how many members on various boards refuse to accept these stipends? S
    Several years ago I served on a couple and refused the payments. I considered it my duty and a privilege to serve. Plus my employer gave the time without pay reduction.
    I was the only person to do so as I recall and it initially confused the civil servants responsible.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I’m going to call CAP on this. I can tell by the way you wrote it that you have never served on a government board. And your last line completely gave you away. Civil servants have witnessed board and tribunal members decline the offered stipend for decades. If you want to make a point about serving for free out of national pride etc then do so but don’t make up stories.

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  4. anonymous says:

    PACT government strikes again – driving this country into a welfare state. They fill these boards with unqualified people who can’t make it in private sector and a couple may even have a law degree but can’t get a job. PACT ministers themselves are not qualified for the job, so they just keep digging the hole deeper. Wayne says they are cutting costs which is complete lip service because EVERYTHING he is doing suggests the opposite. I can hardly wait to see what’s in the next budget – HUGE spending and nothing to show for it.

    The next election can’t come soon enough so we can vote these jokers out!!

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  5. Anonymous says:

    I’m not sure I would be willing to give up a day of my time for $100 either.

    As far as I am concerned these should not be volunteer but paid positions. How does the Government attract qualified individuals for these ridiculous amounts? No wonder we have so many useless people on these boards..

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  6. Anonymous says:

    Take a look at who is on the Labour Boards and it will be evident as to why the raise was necessary. As with the Planning Board, we are paying for ignorance and lack of education

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  7. Anonymous says:

    #worldclassmyass!
    😂 😂 😂 😂

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  8. Anonymous says:

    Maybe encourage labour officers to respond to calls, emails will be a better increase. Only CIG office that you have to wait until rooster cuts teeth to get help.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Seems like a free-for-all in PACT Cabinet! Is there any co-ordination??

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    • Anonymous says:

      Ask Jay or Kenneth to spell “coordination” and let’s see who gets it right. Wait- that’s a good idea- have a general knowledge quiz with those 2, add in Bernie and Heather and whoop- there we have it. Caymans own version of Family Fued, but we rename it PACT Feud- a gathering of their dumbest members. For moderator/host we use Dwayne “full moon”.😅😉😀😅😃

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Isn’t the reward for volunteering…SERVICE????
    I understand there should be some coffee and treats for the meeting, perhaps even a stipend to cover transportation, but this is a volunteer position, not a paid one FFS.

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    • Anonymous says:

      maintenance cost for luxury vehicles are very expensive, someone got to pay and who better to pay than us.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    its always about the money

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  12. Anonymous says:

    So much for watching the budget. Hell just send everyone in Cayman a check for a few thousand each. Lets spend it while we can!

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  13. Anonymous says:

    This is exactly the BS our government sells. In one other article the man is saying we need to cut costs yet he paying more in another article. Our government don’t practice what they preach. Why is it a man who purchase a parcel of land is unable to clear his land as he sees fit, yet our government has approved the airport expansion with the further destruction to the mangroves in the vicinity.

    Btw these members on these various government boards should give their time, knowledges and expertise for free!!!

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  14. Anonymous says:

    trough gets bigger and deeper…any comment wayne???…please give us more empty words and promises!

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  15. Anonymous says:

    it’s election season boysssssss. The going is good.

    Lmao. Please for all our sakes can we get direct rule and some boring, by the book, stickler for the rules number crunching bureaucrats into our government. We all
    Hate them. But this free for all Jamaican, Wild West buy votes politics has to stop. End. Now.

    You may laugh but how long before the regiment decide they’ve had enough just like Gabon and Niger. This is the slope. Downwards you invite them in and then they take over.

    Good luck. Have fun.

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  16. Anonymous says:

    another cig budget reduction…..zzzz
    welcome to wonderland.
    time to consider your position Wayne.

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