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Grenada - Compensation & Benefit Legislation

CAPITAL

St. George’s

 

CLIMATE

Tropical climate; tempered by the northeast trade winds.

 

LANGUAGES

English (official), and French patois.

 

LEGAL SYSTEM

Grenada’s legal system is based on English common law.

 

CURRENCY

East Caribbean Dollar (1 USD = 2.67000 XCD as of April 15, 2002).

 

GRENADA - COST-OF-LIVING

ERI's Relocation Assessor is a recommended source for cost-of-living data.

 

GRENADA - EMBASSY/CONSULATES

U. S. Embassy at St. George's

P.O. Box 54

St. George's, Grenada

Telephone: (473) 444-1173

Fax: (473) 444-4820

 

Embassy of Guatemala at Washington D.C.

1701 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.

Washington D.C. 20009

Telephone: (202) 265-2561

 

GRENADA - HOLIDAYS

 

GRENADA – LEAVE

Maternity Leave: 3 month – 100% of pay for first two months, 60% of pay for third month (paid by social security and employer).

 

GRENADA - MINIMUM AGE

The statutory minimum age for employment of children is 18 years.

 

(Section 6.d. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Grenada – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

GRENADA - MINIMUM REMUNERATION

There is no minimum wage required by law.

 

(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Grenada – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

GRENADA - REMUNERATION

ERI's Geographic and Salary Assessors are recommended sources for international remuneration covering 189 countries.

 

GRENADA - REPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES (2001, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE)

Section 6 Worker Rights

 

a. The Right of Association

 

All workers are free to organize independent labor unions. Although employers are not legally obliged to recognize a union formed by their employees, they generally do so in practice. Labor Ministry officials estimate that 25 percent of the work force is unionized, a decline reflecting loss of jobs during the year. Union leaders play a significant role in the political process, and one labor leader serves in the Senate on behalf of the Grenada Trades Union Council (GTUC).

 

All unions are technically free of government control, and none receive government financial support. However, all of the major unions belong to one umbrella labor federation, the GTUC, which is subsidized by the Government. The GTUC holds annual conventions and determines some policies for member unions.

 

Workers in the private and public sectors are free to strike, once legal and procedural requirements are met. There were several strikes or other types of industrial action during the year, including those by workers at the Nutmeg Association, the Grenada Sugar Factory, and the airport. All were short-lived and were settled with the intervention of the Labor Commissioner, the Minister of Labor, and the respective unions.

 

The GTUC and its unions freely affiliate with regional and international trade union groups.

 

b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

 

Workers are free to organize and to participate in collective bargaining. The law requires employers to recognize a union that represents the majority of workers in a particular business. The law prohibits discrimination by employers against union members and organizers. Mechanisms exist to resolve complaints of discrimination. After all avenues for resolving a complaint have been exhausted between union representatives and employers, both sides may agree to ask for the assistance of the Labor Commissioner. If the Labor Commissioner is unable to find a resolution to the impasse, the Minister of Labor intervenes and, if unable to reach an agreement, may appoint an arbitration tribunal if both parties agree to abide by its ruling. The law requires employers who are found guilty of antiunion discrimination to rehire dismissed employees, but in most cases the employee accepts the option of compensation. There were no cases of antiunion discrimination reported to the Ministry during the year.

 

There are no export processing zones.

 

c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor

 

The Constitution specifically prohibits forced or bonded labor, including that of children, and it is not known to occur.

 

d. Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for Employment

 

Child labor is illegal; however, children sometimes work in the agricultural sector. The statutory minimum age for employment of children is 18 years. Inspectors from the Ministry of Labor enforce this provision in the formal sector by periodic checks; however, enforcement efforts in the informal sector are lax. The Government has endorsed but not yet ratified the International Labor Organization's Convention 182 on elimination of the worst forms of child labor. The Constitution prohibits forced or bonded labor by children, and there were no reports that it occurred.

 

e. Acceptable Conditions of Work

 

There are no minimum wage laws in force. Most workers, including nonunionized workers, receive packages of benefits from employers set by collective bargaining agreements between employers and labor unions. In many cases, overall wages and benefits are not sufficient to provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. Many families receive remittances from relatives abroad and also help support themselves through garden-plot agriculture. The generally accepted minimum wage for agricultural workers was about $8.50 (EC$20.00) per day.

 

The Constitution stipulates that the maximum number of hours per week workers may work is 40. The law does not prescribe a standard workweek, except for the public sector, which is expected to work a 40-hour week Monday through Friday. The normal workweek in the commercial sector includes Saturday morning work but does not exceed 40 hours.

 

The Government sets health and safety standards, but the authorities enforce them unevenly. Workers can remove themselves from dangerous workplace situations without jeopardy to continued employment.

 

f. Trafficking in Persons

 

There are no laws that specifically address trafficking in persons. There were no reports that persons were trafficked to, from, or within the country during the year.

 

GRENADA - SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security Office of International Programs:

 

http://www.ssa.gov/SSA_Home.html

 

GRENADA - STANDARD WORKWEEK

The Constitution stipulates that the maximum number of hours per week workers may work is 40. The law does not prescribe a standard workweek, except for the public sector, which is expected to work a 40-hour week Monday through Friday. The normal workweek in the commercial sector includes Saturday morning work but does not exceed 40 hours.

 

(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Grenada – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)