Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 16, 2024 (SKNIS): During the Prime Minister’s Press Conference held on February 13, 2024, at the NEMA Conference Room, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister with responsibility for the Skills Training Empowerment Programme (S.T.E.P), the Honourable Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, urged businesses involved in the programme to promptly submit timesheets, emphasising the importance of a seamless payroll process.
“I want to make an appeal, as I was informed by the STEP Programme, that a number of businesses that we are providing support for, by having persons either as interns or they have been there with the businesses for quite a while, that the time sheets which allows the worker to be paid … sometimes, three weeks businesses would not submit,” Dr. Hanley explained.
Dr. Hanley strongly urged businesses to act swiftly to rectify the situation.
“I am calling on them to fix this because it is creating a problem in payroll. It means that the employee that you have working with you would not be paid. The STEP Office would have written to the businesses because as of February 12, 2024, once this happens, the business will have to pay the wage,” he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister also emphasised the importance of compliance and mutual respect in these partnerships, adding, “I thought I should say that now so that people understand the importance of you respecting what is expected of you.”
Furthermore, Minister Hanley touched upon the ongoing efforts to integrate individuals from the STEP Programme into the workforce permanently.
“The dialogue continues in the STEP Programme as we have been calling in businesses to try to get some more persons off the STEP Programme and into their established businesses. Some people are there for up to 10 years and we are hoping that sometime during this year, we will be able to fix that,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Hanley’s appeal serves as a reminder of the collaborative effort required to foster a productive and fair employment environment. Businesses are urged to comply with the submission of timesheets to facilitate the seamless operation of payroll processes and contribute to the sustainable development of the workforce through the STEP Programme.
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