St Kitts: Labour Minister protects workers severance rights

The Ministry of Labour is ensuring that persons who are eligible for severance payments after years of service to an establishment are aware of their rights, and are paid the necessary funds in the least amount of time.

“There are times when persons come to Department of Labour unaware of what is owed to them via severance,” Senior Minister and Minister of Labour, the Honourable Vance Amory said during his presentation commenting on the 2019 Budget.

“Officials often engage with the relevant parties to get a full understanding of the process and avoid conflicts. In some cases, persons have lost their severance because they are unaware of company policies and procedures.

“Even if the employer has not been making a contribution to the severance, we do not say to someone, ‘because no contribution has been on [your] behalf that you cannot get the severance.’ We pay the severance where it is applicable and then we go out and check with the persons who have not made the contribution to make certain that that is done in accordance with the law,” Amory stated on December 17.

The minister indicated to ensure compliance with the law senior officers in the Department of Labour often visit work establishments to engage with employers and employees to foster harmonious industrial relations.