Employers must adhere to labour laws – Labour officer to Region 2 business community

Essequibo is well known for its businesses, and as such, employers should work on the labour relationship between themselves and employees and all businesses must adhere to the country’s labour laws.

This was the message from the Representatives of the Labour Ministry on Wednesday during a one-day seminar, under the theme, “Conditions of Work in the 21st Century” which was held at Jaigobin Hotel’s Conference Hall, Henrietta, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
This seminar attracted scores of business owners and was aimed at sensitising the business community on the laws and regulations governing the conditions of work and the safe system of work.

The business persons that attended the seminar employ more than 200 workers, and as such, they received information on the labour laws governing Overtime Payments, Termination of Employment and Severance Pay, Inspection and Record-Keeping, National Minimum Wage, Probation Period and Leave with Pay, Industrial Training and Relations through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) and Safety and Health at Work and the OSH Laws.
During the presentation, Chief Labour Officer Daneshwar Deonarine educated business owners on their roles and responsibilities as an employer and also the importance of the human resource in an organisation.
Deonarine urged business owners to understand the labour laws which focus on conditions of work, occupational health and safety requirements, apprenticeship and employment exchange services
“In workplace, employees are reluctant to wear their safety boots but the responsibilities for you as the employer should make sure that your employees wear their safety boots, belt goggles, helmet and gloves when working, especially in height work,” he noted.
He added that employers should educate their employees on the importance of the safety in the workplace and strictly supervise them to ensure that workers work in a safe space and that they go back to their families in one piece when the afternoons come.
Meanwhile, Regional Chairperson, Vilma De Silva in closing, expressed gratitude to the team from the Ministry of Labour for enlightened labour laws to business persons in order to ensure that their employees’ living, health and safety conditions are intact.