In a bid to revolutionise its operations in keeping with trends of the digital age, the Labour Ministry on Wednesday launched a Digital Complaints and Information Management System, which is coupled with a “Labour Advice” Mobile Application app.
The sum of $2.5 million was expended by the Ministry for the development of the application and this was spearheaded by the National Data Management Authority (NDMA).
Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton alongside Chief Labour Officer Dhaneshwar Deonarine at the launch of the Digital Complaints and Information Management System
NDMA was tasked with constructing the application’s Data Processing, Complaint Management and Inspection Systems.
The agency is also responsible for the application’s annual software maintenance and support system, which will be updated regularly to ensure the service is efficient.
The user-friendly mobile app is tailored for employers and employees to lodge labour violations and complaints digitally.
During his address at the launch ceremony, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton posited that the system is a directed investment made towards enhancing accessibility, transparency and inclusivity.
On this point, he urged citizens to take full advantage of the app, noting that it is the legal and constitutional avenue in place to investigate matters brought before the ministry.
“The person who is authorised statutorily, legally, and constitutionally to resolve your problems if you have a labour relations grievance is the Chief Labour Officer and his officers. There is no other set of persons in this land we call Guyana and I need to say that because from time-to-time people will reach us in the street and they have a problem, and the first question you asked them is have you made a formal report… the labour department can only investigate via a formal report made by someone,” the Labour Minister said.
The Digital Complaints and Information Management System which can be accessed on Google Play and the Apple Store allows its members to track their complaints at the various levels at the Labour Ministry.
Notably, the system will not replace the existing walk-in service, given that the ministry’s primary goal is to resolve all complaints amicably, and to ensure that the process is fair, transparent and without prejudice or bias.
“I would hope that the application can be useful and be helpful to the citizens of Guyana to resolve their problems that might come from time to time. We are open, we ready and we are giving free service,” he added.
When an employee makes a complaint, the ministry invites both the employer and the employee to a meeting to hear both parties and then based on the facts and circumstances, a decision/recommendation is made in keeping with Guyana’s labour laws.
If the decision made is in favour of the employee, and the employer does not honour that decision, then the case is taken to the Magistrate’s Court for enforcement.
Since assuming office, Government has established officers in all administrative regions, moving their complement from nine to 30 workers.
In less than four years, 6,872 workplace inspections were conducted by the Ministry, thereby reaching more than 15,000 workers.
Regular workplace inspections have continued in all regions to ensure that businesses and companies comply with all regulations. In 2023, more than 2700 inspections were conducted and two employers were charged for paying their workers’ below minimum wage.
Hamilton shared that there were 5,497 complaints under the former Administration. In comparison, that same period under the PPP saw 3,103 complaints.
The Ministry also recovered $160 million in restitution where employees were owed by employers – including $69 million for last year.
The Labour Minister also revealed that workplace deaths have been down by 37 per cent, when compared to the last year of the APNU/AFC’s term. At that time, the death toll stood at 32 persons. (G1)
