Correction of Employment Bill Enactment Date

The enactment date of the Employment Bill will be the 1st January 2002. The Prime Minister gave this date this afternoon (Sunday) on a radio interview on Island 102.9 FM.

Our last News Bulletin gave the enactment date of 28th February 2002 based on information provided by the Prime Minister to BECon's President via telephone on the 27th December.

According to BECon's President there wasn't a misunderstanding of the enactment date. He stated that when the Prime Minister informed him that the Bill would be enacted on the 28th of February, "A mental calculation was made that approximately two months will elapse prior to the Bill's implementation."

Status of Remaining Labour Bills

It appears that the House has passed the Minimum Wage Bill. According to the Prime Minister during the interview today on Island 102.9 FM, he expects the Minimum Wage Bill to be passed by the Senate during the week of January 7th, and be enacted on the 1st of February 2002.

The Prime Minister also stated that the Health & Safety At Work Bill would be dealt with later, however he expects it to be passed by Parliament and enacted prior to the general elections.

Employers Being Left in the Dark

Although the Senate passed the Employment Bill on the 20th of December, employers still have not received a copy of the Bill as passed by the Senate. In addition, the promise made to supply employers with copies of the amendments to the Minimum Wage Bill and Health And Safety At Work Bill has not yet been kept. One technical committee member commented, "It is very frustrating trying to deal with matters of this magnitude without accurate and timely information."

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