Edmond Campbell, Senior News Coordinator

Jamaicans now earning the National Minimum Wage will see a 14 per cent increase in their take-home pay effective next Monday.

Cabinet has approved an increase in the minimum wage which has moved from $70 per hour to $80 per hour, or from $2,800 per 40- hour work week to $3,200 for the similar period.

Industrial security guards will receive a 13.52 per cent increase in their pay, moving from $103.50 per hour to $117.50 per hour, or from $4,140 per 40-hour work week to $4,700 for the same period.

Allowances for industrial security guards have also been adjusted as follows:

Laundry allowances from $20

- $22 per hour

Firearm allowance from $21

- $25 per hour

Dog handler's allowance $15

- $17 per hour (40-hour work week)

This announcement was made in Parliament yesterday by Minister of Labour and Social Security Derrick Kellier.

Opposition Spokesman on Labour, Ruddy Spencer, said while the Jamaica Labour Party supported any measure which would provide increased benefit to minimum-wage earners, the increase provided by Government was "negligible". He said with the increase, the workers' spending power when compared with their earnings last year had declined in real terms.

"The worker with this increase is in a worse position. I am not excited about the increase," Mr. Spencer lamented.