Govt distances self from single-mom night shift policy

…There’s no ban on women working at night – Harmon

Amid mounting criticisms about the proposed single-mother night shift policy for security guards, Government has come out distancing itself from comments made by Minister Keith Scott who has responsibility for labour relations, and who has

stated publicly that the policy will be implemented.
Minister of State Joseph Harmon said in a statement on Thursday that there is no policy position approved by Cabinet where there is to be a ban on any female working in security services at night. “As far as the Government is concerned, we have had no debate on the matter,” he explained.
Harmon said the senior Social Protection Minister, Amna Ally, would have to take a paper to Cabinet for deliberation. Until such time, the situation with regards to the issue remains as it is and that means woman will continue to work either day or night and there is no restriction on them.
The Minister indicated that Government, instead, is calling on security companies

to acknowledge and recognise that there are special conditions under which women should work and therefore those facilities for women should also be acknowledged and recognised by security firms.
“There is no restriction on their right to work, what we will ask and we will insist is that the employers who employ women must ensure the conditions under which they work that they provide for the special arrangements which have to do with women in the workforce,” he posited.
Harmon further added that Government is always opened to advice as he stressed that the rights of workers must always be protected in the actual payment which they receive for the work that they do. He noted that these people’s national insurance contributions must also be paid.
The desire to bar single mothers from night work was first expressed by Minister Scott during a seminar hosted on August 24, 2017. Minister Scott had noted that his Ministry was concerned over the work arrangement for female security personnel in the field and the effect it has on single mothers.
According to the Department of Public Information, the Minister had called for the development and implementation of policies to completely prevent women from working the night shift.
But in the days after this pronouncement, a number of persons, particularly on social media, had expressed concern over the Minister’s statement, saying it was an infringement on gender equality.
Following the negative reviews, the Ministry said in a subsequent statement that it is confident that feminist organisations would find favour with the proposed policy that would go a far way in repairing the moral fabric of society which is seriously and negatively affected.
But several women rights activists, including head of Red Thread Karen DeSouza have come out to criticise the move stating that it is misguided and does not represent the true meaning of protection of women rights. The award-winning activist told this newspaper on Wednesday that this move could be viewed as Government attempting to abdicate its responsibility to private companies.
The Guyana Association of Private Security Organisations (GAPSO) has also come out to condemn the proposed policy and stated that Minister Scott’s choice to selectively dismantle and target single mothers within the private security sector was a “cruel and arbitrary attack” on the sector.
GAPSO said it feels that it is a high-handed and unilateral approach being adopted by the Government and definitely lacks insight or thinking outside the box. The organisation said it remains unclear why only the private security sector was selected while other professions are excluded.
The GAPSO therefore called for an independent review of this proposal, widespread consultations with stakeholders and a functioning welfare system that provides benefits according to different situations.