Labor law in Grenada

Employment contracts in Grenada may cover an unspecified period, a specified period or a specific task. A fixed-term or task contract for a normal permanent business function is treated as an unspecified-period contract. The employer must provide written particulars within one month after work begins, including the parties, start date, remuneration or calculation method, payment interval, duties, normal hours, termination clauses and disciplinary rules. This requirement does not apply in the same way to work below 16 hours per week, fixed-term or task work lasting less than 12 weeks, immediate-family employment or equivalent collective-agreement coverage. Unless the contract provides otherwise, probation may last up to one month for unskilled work and three months for other work, and either side may end the employment during probation without notice. Children under 16 generally may not work. A limited exception covers holiday work, technical-school or work-experience arrangements approved by a public authority. A vessel may not employ a person under 16. Employers must keep a register for workers under 18, vessel workers under 18 need a medical certificate, and workers under 18 may not work between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Working-time limits depend on the sector. Agriculture, construction and industrial work generally have a maximum of 40 hours per week from Monday to Friday. Clerical, shop and catering work generally has a maximum of 44 hours per week, with clerical and shop work extending from Monday to Saturday. Domestic and security work can reach 60 hours per week. A worker who works more than six consecutive days receives at least 24 hours of rest. Ordinary daily limits are eight hours, ten hours for domestic work including a two-hour meal or rest period, and twelve hours for security or shift work. Work lasting more than five continuous hours requires at least a one-hour meal interval. A shorter interval of at least 30 minutes may be agreed with written notice to the Labour Commissioner. Overtime requires agreement and is paid at least at one and a half times the normal rate; Sunday and public-holiday work is paid at least at twice the normal rate. Wages paid hourly, daily, weekly, by piece or by task must be paid at least once every two weeks. Monthly or yearly wages must be paid at least once each month. Casual workers receive payment daily or at the agreed weekly, fortnightly or monthly interval. The employer must provide an itemized pay statement at each payment. Deductions are restricted: fines, deductions for negligent work or property damage, and fees for obtaining employment are not permitted under the stated rules. Final wages are due within seven days after employment ends. The Minimum Wages Order, 2023, SRO 42, took effect on January 1, 2024 and replaced SRO 30/2011. It sets rates in Eastern Caribbean dollars, including EC$100 per day for a garment machine mechanic, EC$85 for a cutter, EC$70 for an operator and EC$60 for a cleaner; EC$1,200 per month for a clerical or administrative assistant, cashier or receptionist; EC$9.25 per hour for security work; EC$60 per day for domestic and agricultural work; EC$108 per day for sanitation work; EC$1,200 per month for early-childhood workers from 2024 and EC$1,400 from 2025; EC$1,400 per month for elderly caregivers; EC$375 per week for a bakery ovenman or baker, EC$350 for pastry work and EC$300 for wrapping or packing; EC$1,400 per month for helpers or utility workers; EC$375 per week for media reporters or announcers; and EC$8.50 per hour for call-centre work. Hospitality rates include EC$9.50 per hour for cooks or bartenders, EC$8.60 for assistants, EC$9.25 for waiters or waitresses and EC$8.50 for waiter assistants or porters. Construction rates vary by grade: carpenters, joiners, painters, plumbers, electricians and steel benders have specified daily grades, while labourers receive EC$60 and helpers EC$65. Transport rates range from EC$80 to EC$110 per day for vehicle drivers according to vehicle size; bus drivers receive EC$80 and conductors EC$60. Employers who underpay workers commit an offence. A first conviction can carry a fine of up to EC$5,000 and a repeat conviction up to EC$10,000, while the Court may order the wage difference and, where applicable, interest. The employer carries the burden of proving payment and must post wage notices. The Wages Advisory Committee reviews minimum wages at least every three years. Paid annual leave generally provides two weeks in the first eligible year and three weeks afterwards. Daily or hourly workers receive one paid working day for every 15 days or 120 hours worked. Accrued unused annual leave is payable when employment ends. Paid sick leave becomes available after at least 12 months of continuous service and requires a medical certificate; normal wages are reduced by the National Insurance Scheme benefit. A worker may have up to five certificate-free sick-leave occasions per year. After more than two months of sickness, the employer may arrange a medical review. Family-responsibility leave may be agreed with the employer, and a refusal may not be unreasonable. Maternity leave lasts three months. Paid eligibility generally requires 18 months of continuous employment or 105 days of daily-paid work during the preceding 18 months. Maternity pay is at least 40 percent of two months' pay for monthly-paid workers, 40 percent of four fortnights' pay for weekly or fortnightly workers, or the applicable daily formula. A worker who does not meet the paid eligibility rule may receive three months of unpaid maternity leave. After the first paid entitlement, paid maternity leave is generally limited to once every two years and three occasions including the first. Maternity leave is additional to annual leave. Dismissal because of pregnancy is an offence; the employer bears the burden of proof and may face a fine of up to EC$5,000, imprisonment of up to one year and reinstatement. The Factories Act provides workplace health, safety and welfare powers. Department of Labour inspectors may enter workplaces and inspect records concerning work, pay, hours and accidents. A worker may leave a situation the worker reasonably believes presents an imminent and serious danger, and retaliation for doing so is prohibited. Grenada's occupational-safety policy refers to ILO Convention 155, but no replacement Occupational Safety and Health Act was evidenced as effective in the research. Carriacou and Petite Martinique remain under the national regime, with improved geographic service access identified as a policy priority. Workers and employers may register organizations, join associations, form federations and affiliate internationally. Anti-union discrimination, threats, promises or restraint are void. A union supported by a majority may apply to become the exclusive bargaining agent; the Labour Commissioner determines the bargaining unit. After an application, the Minister may order a poll, with a 14-working-day application period and certification or refusal within seven working days after the poll. A certified union has exclusive bargaining rights and must receive good-faith bargaining; collective agreements are lodged with the Labour Commissioner. Strikes and lockouts remain subject to the Labour Relations Act. A lawful striker may return if the worker presents within two working days after the action ends, unless the job has been abolished. An individual statutory breach may be taken to the Labour Commissioner, who may prosecute, or to the Court. Employment Act proceedings in the magistrate's court do not require filing fees. An unfair-dismissal complaint must generally reach the Labour Commissioner within three months. The process can continue from the Labour Commissioner to the Minister and then the Arbitration Tribunal. The employer must prove the dismissal reason and that it was just and equitable. Remedies may include reinstatement, re-engagement or compensation. The minimum compensation is two weeks' pay per year for service below two years and one month's pay per year for service above two years. Trade disputes normally proceed through Labour Commissioner conciliation, Ministerial mediation and the Arbitration Tribunal. The Department of Labour target is conciliation or mediation within 30 working days. Essential-service disputes follow a compulsory ministerial Tribunal process, and industrial action is barred while the case is pending for up to 60 working days, with a possible 28-day extension. An applicable award may be final and binding, published and enforced through the High Court or a civil claim. After probation, employer notice is one working day for service below one month, one week for one to less than three months, two weeks for three months to less than one year, one month for one to less than five years and two months for five years or more. An employee generally gives two weeks' notice after three months of service and one month after one year. Payment in lieu of notice is allowed, and summary dismissal may follow serious misconduct. Valid reasons include capacity, conduct, operational need, contract terms and disciplinary rules. Dismissal is prohibited for protected characteristics, pregnancy, sickness or injury absence, refusal of unsafe work, lawful industrial action or making a complaint or starting proceedings. Constructive dismissal is recognized, and the employer must provide a termination certificate on request. An employer-initiated termination allowance is generally due after at least one year of continuous service where no gratuity applies, at not less than one week's pay per year. Exceptions include fair-conduct dismissal, refusal of equivalent reemployment, specified partnership dissolution cases and reaching age 60 or retirement age. In insolvency, priority claims include wages and overtime for the last 26 weeks, holiday pay for the last two years, other paid absence for the last 12 months and termination claims. A foreign national working in the private sector generally needs a valid Work Permit before starting work. The Minister has discretion to grant or refuse it. The permit normally lasts one year, names the employer, person and occupation, and cannot be transferred. Employers may have local advertising and training obligations. Citizens covered by the OECS Protocol may benefit from work-permit exemptions under the applicable guide, and the CARICOM Skills Certificate provides another possible pathway. Immigration authorization and employment rights are related but separate questions. The Department of Labour and Labour Commissioner are the main local access points. The Labour Department is located at the Ministerial Complex, 3rd Floor, Sir Eric M. Gairy Botanical Gardens, Tanteen, St. George's, and lists telephone numbers 473-440-2532 and 473-435-4416. No user fee was stated for advisory, inspection or complaint services. A Labour Code reform was announced and in finalization in 2026, but no evidence showed that it had entered into force; the existing Acts and orders therefore remain the evidenced framework.