A new law will require employers to pay workers on their scheduled payday, with late wages permitted only in genuine emergencies, as the Mia Mottley administration moves to tighten protections around pay and deductions.

Leading the second reading of the Protection of Wages Bill in the House of Assembly on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said the measure is designed to protect workers’ rights and reinforce the principle that wages belong to employees, not employers.

“A wage packet is not an accountant entry. It is rent, it is bus fare, it is school lunch,” she said. “This is what helps people buy food or may have to go for prescriptions. It allows people to keep their body and their dignity safe.”