🚌 Cayman Islands Deputy Premier proposes summer stipend for school bus workers

Deputy Premier and Social Development Minister André Ebanks has proposed a summer stipend for workers employed by private companies contracted to provide school bus services for Cayman Islands Government (CIG) schools. Currently, these companies are only paid for the ten months of the academic year they provide services, and in turn, they only pay their employees for this period. This leaves workers without income during the summer months. 🚌

Ebanks stated that while bus wardens and drivers are only paid for the days they work, civil servants in similar roles receive a fixed salary throughout the year. He also noted the rise in the cost of living as a factor in the need to pay the stipend. The proposed stipend would be given directly to the bus company employees during the summer, bridging the gap between the pay structures of civil servants and private company employees. However, if workers receive a government stipend instead of a pay rise, their employers would not have to pay more into their pension plans. 📚

The ministry is finalising a policy for the proposed stipend and is also developing a supporting policy to set parameters for it, with the potential to continue the programme in future years, budget permitting. Ebanks said the stipend aims to address the deficiency in pay structures and ensure fairness for individuals providing transportation services for children to access education. 🏫