The department of employment in the Ministry of Employment, Immigration and Civil Status is calling on employees to register their claims with the department in the event of non-payment of their salaries by their employers, in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

It was the director general for Labour Relation, Steve Monnaie, who made the statement during a briefing with the press on recorded cases by the department of workers not being paid their salaries during the pandemic.

It is to be noted that the government has guaranteed for the payment of three months salaries (April to June 2020) for local and foreign workers in the private sector. Some have already been paid their salaries while the process is still ongoing for payments of salaries for other workers.

He noted that the department has received a lot of claims from workers that they have not been paid their salaries.

Mr Monnaie explained that many employers contacted claimed they are still waiting for the salary request from government while others who have not lodged any assistance for the salary of their workers are just refusing to pay their workers, claiming that they were at home and were not working.

He stated that the home confinement was a public health order and it is the duty of the employers to pay their workers their due salaries.

“If a business had to close down during the lockdown and the workers had to eventually stay at home, it is the responsibility of the employer to pay their workers their month’s salary,” Mr Monnaie explained, noting that a worker has all the legal rights and protection under the law and so can bring a case against an employer for refusing to pay his or her salary.

He stated that from then on, the investigating officers will follow up those cases which could also end up in prosecution of the employers.

He said that some employers are discussing salary issues with their workers and are engaged in some agreements while waiting for salary disbursement from government.

He noted that the Ministry of Finance has advised those with resources to pay their workers while waiting for their claimed assistance.

He noted while some employers understood their obligation and are digging in their reserves to pay their workers while they wait for assistance from government, some are still refusing to admit responsibility and claims can be brought against them to the department.

Mr Monnaie said that claims by the workers for non-salary payment are across the board – tourism, construction and even retail, to name a few.

He highlighted on the miscommunication between the employers and workers regarding the issue of payment of salaries and he called on them to sit down and discuss the issue.

It is expected that all workers would have received their April salaries from the Ministry of Finance by tomorrow.

Patrick Joubert