Last Updated on August 15, 2020, 9:27 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The Minister of the Labour, Senator the Honourable Wendy Phipps, told the public on long service gratuity claims and the status of severance payment, noting that under 800 severance payment claims have been received to date.
Minister Phipps said that three hundred and nine of them are for Marriott employees; there are 112 which should be coming from the Park Hyatt and, just under 90 from the Royal St. Kitts Hotel.
Throughout the last week, claims are expected to be filled by 400 workers from the Four Seasons Resort.
The hospitality sector has had its operations impacted severely by the coronavirus pandemic.
Several persons were made redundant or were terminated from their jobs over the past weeks after being laid off for over twelve weeks.
Employees are also given the right to trigger their termination after a period of twelve weeks. Section 28 and section 29 of The Protection of Employment Act spells out the legal stipulations in this matter.
Sections 26 to 30 outline details about the severance payment, which, a person would qualify after working for the same company for the period of at least one year.
Senator Phipps, concerning long service gratuity noted that around 21 claims had been made till date.
In July 2013, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis amended the Protection of Employment Act to include the legislated Long Service Gratuity wherein persons who would have contributed ten (10) years or more of continuous service to the same workplace can opt to retire or resign and receive a Gratuity.
Minister Phipps added that “by law, an individual cannot apply for long service gratuity and still severance pay” because both benefits come from the same fund.”
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
