The news of the second tripartite meeting came out on Thursday 9th December. The salary compensation to all employees in the private and public sectors is Rs 500 for those receiving a salary of less than Rs 13,000 and Rs 400 for those earning above Rs 13,000. The quantum was calculated at +3.5% of inflation rate and will be payable from January 2022.
The meeting, chaired by the finance minister, Renganaden Padayachy, was held at Sir Harilall Vagjee Hall and was attended by several members of the government including the finance and employment ministries and trade unionists. At the first meeting, conducted last week by the Employment Minister, Soodesh Callychurn, the trade unionists’ proposal was at Rs 450 and Rs 658 per month.
A special assistance will be provided to employers in the SME, tourism and manufacturing sectors in the form of a Social Package. The government will finance the payment of wage compensation for the first 6 months of 2022, i.e. until June 2022. Renganaden Padayachy appealed to both employers and employees to be understanding in this pandemic period. “We need to work together to come out of this pandemic war. We have been fighting this virus for two years now. We are counting on the understanding of all parties,” he said.
In addition, the Minister has also announced that the government’s subsidies on more than a hundred basic food products have been extended until June 2022.
