The second tranche of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the Wages Regulations (WR) is now in effect.

The new rate for the NMW is $3.34 per hour while the minimum rate for the 10 sectors is provided in the gazette notice.

The first tranche came into effect on 1 April 2022 following the revised 2021-2022 National Budget announcement on 24 March 2022.

The Ministry of Employment is urging all employers covered under the NMW (Amendment) Regulations 2022 and the 10 sectoral industries (Building and Civil and Electrical Engineering Trades, Hotel and Catering Trades, Manufacturing Industry, Mining and Quarrying, Printing Trades, Sawmilling and Logging Industry, Security Services, Wholesale and Retail Trades, Garment Industry, Road Transport) covered under the Wages (Amendment) Regulations 2022 to make the necessary changes to their wages records.

The Ministry in a statement said its Labour Standards and Compliance team will continue to conduct inspections of the implementation of the second tranche wage increase in all workplaces in Fiji to ensure that all workers are remunerated with the right wage rate.

By Reginald Chandar