$365M to train labour officers in 2021 – Labour Minister

…36 new officers recruited

Some $365 million is being spent by the Government of Guyana to train officers within the Labour Ministry in 2021.
This was revealed by Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton during a graduation ceremony at the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) Labour College, for the 36 newly recruited officers who would have completed a two-week training programme.
The ceremony saw in attendance key officials such as the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Bishram Kuppen, Ministerial Advisor and coordinator of the training programme, Gillian Burton-Persaud, and the various heads of departments.
The trained officers will be placed in the Labour Department, Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA), Occupational Safety & Health Department (OSH), and Cooperative Department (CO-OP).

They were presented with a certificate of completion and are expected to be deployed to several areas across the country. A rotation stint is expected to be done amongst officers so as to familiarise themselves with the various regions.
Officers were also informed that they will have to learn foreign languages to communicate with foreign nationals that have a permanent presence in Guyana. This is to decrease language barriers that may affect efficient communication with foreign employers and workers.
The Minister stated that, “The goal is to build the most robust Ministry of Labour in the history of this country Guyana”.
The Minister noted that when he took office, there was a mere 87 persons when there should have been a 127 staffing complement. To date, the Ministry has nearly 200 employees to effectively carry out the functions of the Ministry.
“Everything that you will do is bounded and grounded in statute and law…you are guided by statute and law. You have the power to make fundamental decisions to determine people’s lives whether they live or they die,” Hamilton told the officers.
“Any place you go to do your work and anyone is introducing any conversation that is not of a technical nature, you just say ‘y’all call the Minister’ – I will deal with the rest.”

The Minister further pointed out that Government agencies have no exemptions where the works of the officers and the Labour Ministry are concerned.
In addition, he stated that the Permanent Secretary was instructed to inform all the Ministries that “we will be coming”.
“We are reviewing legislations – if you have any ideas based on what you have experienced, bring it to the PS and the lawyers and your department head… I want the law to empower Labour Officers and OSH Officers to go to the court and file contempt proceedings.”
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary informed the newly trained officers that the training is an introduction to the journey and work they will be embarking on.
He noted that there will be continued training as they go along, as well as consultations with the heads of department as they provide the services which they were mandated to provide on behalf of the Labour Ministry.