The government is taking a zero-tolerance approach to worker exploitation, it said on Tuesday, as it laid a new bill before Parliament to bring sweeping protections aimed at strengthening their rights and changing how employers treat employees.

Minister of Labour Colin Jordan introduced the Protection of Wages Bill in the House of Assembly, the latest in a raft of legislation aimed at boosting workers’ rights as the government nears the drafting of a formal labour code.

The bill formally recognises wire transfers and direct deposits as wage payments while giving workers the right to choose the financial institution into which their wages are deposited. Employers would not be allowed to pass any associated banking costs on to employees, the minister said.