CONSTRUCTION WAGES COUNCIL 
WAGE REGULATION _g S.L.452.59 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 452.59
CONSTRUCTION WAGES COUNCIL WAGE 
REGULATION ORDER
10th March, 1980
LEGAL NOTICE 27 of 1980, as amended by Legal Notices 66 of 1989
and 44 of 1990.
Title.
Regulation Order.
Field of operation 
of Wages Council.
2. The provisions set out in the Schedule hereto shall apply to
all employees in respect of whom the Construction Wages Council
operates.
Amended by:
L.N. 66 of 1989;
L.N. 44 of 1990.
SCHEDULE
Interpretation.
Cap. 252.
1. In this Schedule, unless the context otherwise requires -
"customary holidays" means the days (other than Sundays)
declared for the time being to be public holidays by or under the
National Holidays and other Public Holidays Act;
"day" means a period running from midnight of one day to
midnight of the next immediately following day;
"hours of work" means the time in any day during which
employees are at the disposal of the employer, exclusive of the
intervals allowed for meals and rest;
"normal hourly wage" means the weekly wage divided by -
( a ) sixty, in the case of watchmen, and
( b ) forty, in the case of other employees;
"recognised breaks" means breaks which are customary among
particular sections of the employees to whom this Schedule applies;
"time-and-a-half" and "double-time" mean respectively -
( a ) in the case of a time employee, one-and-a-half times
and twice the normal rate due to him;
( b ) in the case of an employee on piece-work:
(i) the piece rates being paid to the employee, and
in addition,
(ii) a time rate equal to one half, or, as the case may
be, the whole of the normal rate which would
have been payable to him if he were a time
employee;
"wages" means remuneration or earnings, payable in money by
an employer to an employee;
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"week" means a calendar week; 
"weekly day of rest" means a period of twenty-four consecutive
hours commencing at the time at which the worker would normally
commence his turn of duty;
"whole-time employee" means an employee who is required to
work -
( a ) for not less than thirty-seven hours in any one week,
exclusive of overtime work, if he works in a quarry;
( b ) for not less than forty-five hours in any one week,
exclusive of overtime work, if he works as a
watchman, and
( c ) for not less than thirty hours in any one week,
exclusive of overtime work, in the case of all other
employees.
Hours of work. 2. (1) The minimum weekly remuneration for time
employees, other than watchmen, shall be related to not more than
forty hours of work calculated on an average for one calendar year
exclusive of overtime and of recognised breaks for meals and rest
spread over a five-day week.
(2) The minimum weekly remuneration for watchmen shall be
related to a week of not more than sixty hours of work, exclusive of
overtime, spread over six days.
(3)  A time-schedule covering a period of a calendar year for
all categories of employees in the same establishment, as the case
may be, shall be submitted in writing by registered letter, to the
Director and shall, when so notified and provided it complies in all
respects with the provisions of this Order and the requirements of
any other law, constitute the normal working hours in the
establishment:
Provided that - 
( a ) until such time-schedule is submitted to the Director as
aforesaid, the normal working hours in the
establishment shall be forty hours in any one week;
and
( b ) any changes to such time-schedule shall not be
effected by the employer before the prior notification
in writing of such changes to the Director.
Minimum 
remuneration.
3. (1) Subject to the provisions of paragraph 7 of this
Schedule, the minimum weekly wages payable to time employees
shall be the following:
( a )  (i) Watchmen whose duties are mainly performed
indoors ............................................ Lm24.88,0
(ii) Watchmen whose duties are mainly performed
out of doors ..................................... Lm25.88,0
( b ) Other time employees:
(i) aged 18 years or over ....................... Lm24.88,0
(ii) aged 17 years ................................... Lm20.24,0
CONSTRUCTION WAGES COUNCIL 
WAGE REGULATION _g S.L.452.59 3
(iii) aged under 17 years ........................ Lm19.13,0,
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2 of this
Schedule, an employee shall be entitled to the full contracted
weekly remuneration if -
( a ) he works for not less than thirty-seven hours in any
one week, exclusive of overtime work, if he works in a
quarry;
( b ) he works for not less than forty-five hours in any one
week, exclusive of overtime work, if he works as a
watchman;
( c ) in the case of any other employee, he works for less
than forty hours, but not less than thirty hours, in any
one week, exclusive of overtime work:
Provided that a proportionate reduction may be
made in respect of such number of hours during which
the employee shall absent himself at his own request.
Piece-work 
employees.
4. In the case of employees employed on piece-work the
minimum piece rates of wages shall be such that no employee will
earn, when employed on such work, less than the appropriate time
pro rata  specified in paragraph 3 hereof.
Minimum daily 
rest.
5.  Employees other than watchmen shall be allowed intervals
of not less, in the aggregate, than one hour for meals and rest in any
day on which the hours of work exceed five and one half hours.
Minimum weekly 
rest.
6. All employees shall be allowed a weekly day of rest in
every week.
Minimum overtime 
rates.
7. Subject to the provisions of this paragraph and of
paragraph 1 of this Schedule, minimum overtime rates shall be paid
to all employees, other than watchmen, as follows:
(1) ( a ) On any day, other than Saturday and Sunday or
customary holidays, for any hours in excess of the
normal working hours of the establishment which shall
not exceed nine hours on any day ...... time-and -a-half;
( b ) for all hours of work on Saturdays ..... time-and-a-half;
( c ) for all hours of work on Sundays ............. double-time;
( d ) for all hours of work on a customary holiday 
............................................................. double time in 
 addition to a 
normal hourly 
wage.
The provisions of this paragraph apply to an employee on
piece work only when he is required to work overtime by his
employer.
(2) Overtime shall be payable to watchmen -
( a ) at the rate of time-and-a-half for all time worked in
excess of sixty hours in a period of six consecutive
days, and
( b ) at the rate of double-time for all time worked on the
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seventh day and/or on any customary holiday.
Holidays. 8. (1) Whole-time employees shall be entitled, in every
calendar year, to -
( a ) all customary holidays with full pay, and
( b ) after three months in employment, vacation leave of
such number of working days with full pay as is
equivalent to the number of working days as that
particular employee should normally attend to work
during a period of four weeks:
Provided that whole-time employees who have been in
employment for less than one year shall be entitled to such part of
the said vacation leave as is in proportion to the number of months
in employment.
(2) For the purpose of this paragraph, a break in employment of
not more than thirty days shall not interrupt the continuity of
service.
Sick leave. 
Cap. 318.
9. (1) After the completion of one year’s continuous service
whole-time employees shall be entitled to fifteen days sick leave on
full pay in every calendar year less any sickness benefit to which
they may be entitled under the Social Security Act, and to a further
fifteen days on half pay in every calendar year, less half of any
such sickness benefit:
Provided that a medical certificate certifying incapacity for
work covering the period of absence is produced to the employer,
who shall be entitled, if he so wishes, to send his own medical
officer to examine the employee.
(2) For the purpose of this paragraph, a break in employment of
not more than thirty days shall not interrupt the continuity of
service.
Bereavement 
leave.
10. Whole-time employees shall be allowed two days paid
leave on the occasion of the death of any of the following relations:
the wife, husband, mother, father (or the person who at the time
was in fact acting as the mother or father of the employee), son or
daughter, brother or sister.
Marriage leave, 
etc.
11. A whole-time employee shall be allowed three days leave
on full pay on the occasion of his marriage and two days leave on
full pay on the occasion of the birth of a child to his wife.
Injury leave.
Cap. 318.
12. A whole-time employee shall be entitled to one year injury
leave on full pay, less the full amount of any injury benefit to
which such employee may be entitled under the Social Security
Act, if he is injured during the actual discharge of his duty and such
injury is not due to any contributory negligence on his part or to the
contravention by him of safety rules laid down by the management.
Jury service. 13. A whole-time employee shall, if called upon to serve as
juror, be allowed all time off as shall be necessary, without any
deduction from pay to which he would otherwise have been
entitled, to enable him to attend to such duty in Court.
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WAGE REGULATION _g S.L.452.59 5
Waiting time.
remuneration applicable to him for all time during which he is
present on the premises of his employer or in any other place in
connection with his employment unless he is present thereon in any
of the following circumstances -
( a ) without the employer’s consent, expressed or implied; 
( b ) for some purpose unconnected with his work and other
than that of waiting for work to be given to him to
perform; 
( c ) by reason only of the fact that he is resident thereon;
( d ) during normal meal times in a room or place in which
no work is being done, and he is not waiting for work
to be given to him to perform.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Schedule but is intended to indicate
its applicability).The above Order operates in respect of all
employees engaged in building, in civil engineering, and in
mechanical or electrical engineering or work and also in respect of
all employees engaged in marble works and lime kilns.
In this Explanatory Note -
( a ) the phrase "building, civil engineering and mechanical
or electrical engineering or work" includes
construction, reconstruction, maintenance, repair,
alteration, painting, decoration or demolition of any
building, road, harbour, dock, pier, bridge, viaduct,
sewer, drain, well or other work of construction, the
preparation for or laying the foundation of any work or
structure, the extraction from the earth of stone, clay,
sand or gravel, the manufacture of precast concrete
masonry and concrete units, the manufacture of
cement tiles, and any plumbing work or electrical
wiring; and
( b ) the phrase "marble works" includes the cutting,
dressing, setting and laying of marble blocks or slabs
to make ornamental or protective surfaces, and the
preparation and setting of all marble objects whether
for ornamental purposes or not.
This Order does not apply to employees employed by woodwork
contractors.
