Employee benefitsin Grenada

The National Insurance Scheme, Grenada’s public social-insurance system, covers registered employees and self-employed contributors after at least one day of employment when work causes injury or disease, including qualifying incidents abroad. Injury income is 70% of average insurable earnings for up to 52 weeks. Reasonable treatment costs include medical, surgical, dental and hospital care, nursing, medicines, prostheses, related travel and approved overseas treatment. Overseas care without prior approval is limited to XCD 1,000. Report the incident immediately and retain original receipts. Permanent impairment of at least 1% may qualify for a grant below 30% impairment or a pension from 30%. A 100% impairment needing constant care can increase the pension by 50%. A work-related death also provides dependant benefits and a XCD 2,000 funeral grant to the person paying funeral costs.

St. George’s University provides on-campus outpatient healthcare through its University Health Services Clinic. The university community also has access to emergency medical services 24 hours daily, seven days weekly. Clinical eligibility, charges and treatment arrangements follow the service’s rules.

St. George’s University offers its full-time staff group medical insurance with dependant access. The employee and University share the premiums. Covered treatment, reimbursement limits and individual cost sharing follow the insurance policy.

St. George’s University includes dental cover in its full-time staff group health insurance, with dependant access. Premiums are shared by the employee and University; the policy determines covered dental treatment, limits and patient charges.

St. George’s University includes vision cover in its full-time staff group health insurance, with dependant access. Employee and University share premiums; the policy sets covered eye care, eyewear and reimbursement limits.

St. George’s University’s Psychological Services Center provides confidential counselling, psychotherapy, crisis consultation and outreach. Services are free to staff, faculty, students and their significant others. This is an employer-specific service rather than a national insurance entitlement.

St. George’s University employees are eligible for membership of its University Club, which has a restaurant, two bars, a swimming pool and water-sports equipment. Membership eligibility does not itself mean that the employer pays membership fees or personal spending.

St. George’s University makes its on-site gym facilities available to staff and faculty as well as students, providing an exercise option at the workplace.

The National Insurance Scheme, Grenada’s contributory social-insurance system, protects eligible spouses, children and dependent parents after an insured worker’s death. A pension requires an existing retirement or invalidity pension or 150 paid or credited contributions; a grant requires 50. Of the available survivor pension, a spouse receives 75%, a child 25%, an orphan or child with qualifying incapacity 50%, and a dependent parent 25%, subject to the family maximum. Child pensions normally end at 18, or 21 if still in school. A spouse below 50 or married for less than three years receives one year; an older spouse with at least three years’ marriage or cohabitation can receive lifetime payments. Special incapacity rules apply. Remarriage or cohabitation ends the spouse’s pension; receiving a retirement or invalidity pension reduces the survivor payment to 50%. Parents receive only the unused family maximum.

The National Insurance Scheme, Grenada’s contributory social-insurance system, pays qualifying contributors below pensionable age who are medically certified as permanently incapable of work and no longer receiving sickness benefit. A monthly pension requires 150 paid contribution weeks; its annual formula starts at 27% of best-five-year average annual insurable earnings, adds 1 percentage point per 50 contributions above 500, and is capped at 60%. A grant instead requires at least 50 paid or credited weeks and pays five times average weekly insurable earnings for each 50 contributions. A claim must be made within three months of diagnosis.

In 2026, insured employees and self-employed contributors can receive a National Insurance Scheme retirement pension from the normal pensionable age of 63 after 575 weekly contributions. This public pension is paid monthly. Its annual rate starts at 27% of average annual insurable earnings over the best five years, adds 1 percentage point for each 50 contributions above 500, and is capped at 60% of average annual insurable earnings. The minimum pension is XCD 58 per week. Early retirement from 60 is reduced: a 2026 award at 60, 61 or 62 is reduced by 15%, 10% or 5%, respectively. Normal pension age rises to 64 in 2027.

In 2026, the National Insurance Scheme, Grenada’s contributory system for pensions and cash protection during sickness, maternity, unemployment and work injury, receives 7.25% of insurable earnings from the employer and 6.25% from the employee. Earnings are capped at XCD 5,200 per month or XCD 1,200 per week. Overtime, commission, bonuses, service charges and holiday pay are included in the contribution base. Employers remit at month end, with a 14-day grace period; late payment attracts a 10% surcharge and 1% interest for each month or part-month outstanding. Scheduled 2027 rates rise to 7.5% employer and 6.5% employee.

The National Insurance Scheme, Grenada’s public social-insurance system, supports contributors who lose work involuntarily, including eligible self-employed people. Claimants must be under pensionable age, unemployed for seven consecutive days, registered and contributing for 52 weeks, with eight contribution weeks in the preceding 13 and 13 in the preceding 26. No vacation, severance or notice-related payment from the former employment may still be received. Benefit lasts up to 13 weeks and equals 50% of average weekly insurable earnings, divided by six for the daily amount. Claim within 15 days of unemployment; the employer supplies a termination certificate within seven days. Recipients must keep seeking suitable work and submit a declaration every two weeks, by the third day of the second week.

An employee dismissed by the employer after at least one year of continuous service, and not entitled to a gratuity, receives at least one week’s wages per completed service year. This termination allowance is separate from any payment instead of notice. Exclusions include fair conduct-related dismissal, unreasonable refusal of suitable re-employment on no less favourable terms, specified partnership-dissolution cases, and being over 60 or having reached retirement age.

St. George’s University covers permanent employees with life insurance throughout their employment and pays the premium. The insurance policy determines the death benefit and beneficiary conditions.

St. George’s University provides a pension plan for permanent employees, funded by both the employee and University. This occupational retirement arrangement supplements public social insurance; scheme rules determine contributions and retirement benefits.

Covered agricultural, catering, clerical, construction, domestic, industrial, security and shop employees receive at least two weeks of paid annual leave in their first year and three weeks thereafter. Daily-paid workers accrue one working day per 15 days worked; hourly-paid workers accrue one working day per 120 hours. The employer consults the employee on timing and, where practicable, grants leave within six months after the relevant year. Public holidays that fall on an ordinary working day during annual leave extend it by one paid working day. Accrued untaken leave is paid on termination.

After 12 months of continuous service, an employee qualifies for paid sick leave with a registered medical practitioner’s certificate stating the illness and expected duration. The employer pays normal wages less the sickness benefit payable by the National Insurance Scheme, Grenada’s contributory social-insurance system. The employer need not pay for more than five uncertified occasions in one year. When illness lasts beyond two months, the employer may pay for an examination by its chosen doctor and decide on further leave from the report.

The National Insurance Scheme, Grenada’s public social-insurance system, pays qualifying employees and self-employed contributors 65% of average insurable earnings during illness unrelated to work. Registration must cover three months, with two contribution months immediately before illness, and the claimant must lose earnings and be below pensionable age. Illness must last at least four days; payment then starts from the first sick day, unless it was the last day worked. Benefit initially lasts up to 26 weeks. A further 26 weeks requires three years of employment and 18 contribution months in the last three complete contribution years. Claims are due within three months of leave starting.

Employees may take supplementary leave for family responsibilities, including sickness or death of a spouse, close relative or dependant. The duration is agreed with the employer, whose consent cannot be unreasonably refused. The statutory provision does not set a fixed number of paid days.

St. George’s University grants staff leave for special, compassionate and supplementary reasons as well as its family-leave arrangements. Depending on the applicable reason and policy, leave can be paid or unpaid. The employer’s rules determine eligibility and duration.

Maternity leave lasts three months and is additional to annual leave. Employer maternity pay requires the statutory service conditions: 18 months by the expected birth, or 105 days within 18 months for daily-paid workers, with at least three weeks’ notice of leave and an intention to return. The employer pays at least 40% of two months’ pay for monthly-paid staff, 40% of four fortnights’ pay for weekly or fortnightly staff, or 40% of one-fifth of the preceding 12 months’ earnings for daily-paid workers. Payment is a lump sum on the first leave day or the normal pay schedule, at the employee’s election. If pregnancy begins before the required service has been completed, the employee is entitled to three months’ unpaid maternity leave. Where the child dies at birth or within one month, paid maternity leave ends 30 days after the death. Return requires two weeks’ notice; medical incapacity of the mother or child can postpone return by up to 60 days. Paid maternity leave is limited after the first occasion to once every two years and three occasions overall.

The National Insurance Scheme, Grenada’s public social-insurance system, pays eligible employed or self-employed women 65% of average insurable earnings for three months of maternity leave. The claimant must be losing wages, be aged 16 to the current pensionable age of 63, have seven months’ registration and five contribution months immediately before birth or the expected date. Claims may start six weeks before the expected birth and must be made within three months after birth. A separate XCD 522 birth grant requires 12 contribution months; an insured husband may qualify for the grant when his wife cannot qualify herself. Grant claims are due within three months after birth. Working or receiving full salary can disqualify a maternity claimant.

Employees work under a contract of service; self-employed people operate on their own account. Employee paid-leave and employer-pay duties follow employment status. A self-employed contractor instead registers and pays their own public social-insurance contributions. Using a contractor label does not settle the underlying relationship or transfer employee obligations away from an employer.

Employment can be indefinite, fixed-term or task-based. A fixed term or task arrangement filling a lasting post in the employer’s normal permanent activity is treated as indefinite. Most employees must receive written employment particulars within one month of starting, including pay, pay intervals, duties, ordinary hours, termination terms and disciplinary rules. Exceptions include work below 16 hours weekly, terms or tasks under 12 weeks, immediate family employment and a collective agreement supplying the required particulars.

Employees paid by the month or year must receive wages at least monthly. Hourly, daily, weekly, piece-rate and task workers must normally be paid at least fortnightly. A collective agreement or arbitration award can vary intervals up to one month. Casual workers are paid daily unless they agree to weekly, fortnightly or monthly payment. Cash and cheque are permitted; a non-casual employee can request payment into a bank, credit union or cooperative society in writing. Wages and other remuneration due at termination must be paid within seven days.

Grenada sets minimum wages by occupation rather than one universal monthly figure. The 2023 Minimum Wages Order, effective January 2024, sets XCD 1,200 monthly for clerical workers, administrative assistants, cashiers and receptionists; XCD 8.50 hourly for call-centre employees; and XCD 9.25 hourly for security guards. Domestic and agricultural workers receive at least XCD 60 daily. Employers must select the applicable category and unit before setting pay.

Except for shift workers, the statutory ordinary week is no more than 40 hours for agricultural, construction and industrial workers, 44 for clerical and shop assistants and catering workers, and 60 for domestic workers and security guards. Agricultural, construction and industrial ordinary work runs Monday to Friday; clerical and shop work runs Monday to Saturday. After six consecutive working days, employees receive at least 24 consecutive hours of rest. Ordinary daily limits are eight hours including lunch, ten for domestic workers including two hours for meals and rest, and twelve for security guards and shift workers. After five continuous hours, a meal break is normally at least one hour; an agreed reduction to 30 minutes requires notice to the Labour Commissioner. Overtime requires agreement and pays at least 1.5 times the hourly wage, rising to twice the hourly wage for Sunday or public-holiday overtime. A daily-paid worker who works the working day before and after a public holiday is paid for that holiday.

When a contract does not specify probation, the statutory default is no more than one month for unskilled workers and three months for other workers. A collective agreement can extend the latter period. During probation either party may terminate without notice.

After probation, employer notice for an indefinite contract is one working day below one month’s service, one week from one to under three months, two weeks from three months to under one year, one month from one to under five years, and two months from five years. Employees give at least two weeks from three months’ service and one month from one year. Longer agreed notice is permitted. Instead of notice, the employer pays wages, remuneration and benefits that would have accrued during it. Dismissal requires a valid capacity, conduct, operational or contractual reason; pregnancy and protected absences do not justify dismissal.

Employers hiring foreign nationals in Grenada must arrange the required work permits and comply with immigration and employment requirements before work begins. A permanent residence document alone does not replace the employer’s obligation to secure the appropriate work authorization. Employment terms must satisfy minimum pay, leave, social-insurance, tax and safety obligations.