Above: the Cayman Islands (Caribbean Journal photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Cayman Islands has announced the membership of its Minimum Wage Advisory Committee.

In a statement, the government said the committee had begun its work to present recommendations on minimum wage for the British Overseas Territory.

Cayman’s Ministry of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs said it had invited stakeholders from both Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac to put forward nominations for membership.

“”It was important for us to invite nominations from a wide array of organizations so that as many industries and jobs as possible could be represented as a minimum wage is going to affect everyone and every employer,” said Employment Minister Tara Rivers. “We wanted an equal representation of employers and employees on the committee, and also a committee that is gender-balanced and that recognizes the contributions of and challenges related to young people.”

The committee includes 12 full members, including employers, employees and independent members, including a Chairman.

The committee “will be tasked with investigating the impact to the economy of establishing a minimum wage at various price points and make a recommendation based on their findings as to what is the most appropriate minimum wage or wages for the Cayman Islands,” the government said.

The committee said it hoped to present its report to Cabinet by Oct. 31.

See the full list of independent members below:

Lemuel Hurlston — Chairman
Nicolas Joseph — Caymanian Bar Association
Maria Zingapan — Director, Economics and Statistics Office
Annette Murphy — University College of the Cayman Islands

Employee Representatives:
Andrea Williams — Business and Professional Women’s Club
Stephen Tatum — Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Representative
Lauren Langlois — Female Youth Representative
Pierre Connolly — Male Youth Representative

Employer Representatives
Ian Pairaudeau — Cayman Contractor’s Association
Woody Foster — Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce
Ahisha Bodden — Cayman Islands Society of Human Resources Professionals
Danielle Wolfe — Cayman Islands Tourism Association