iTEL to pay over 400 workers full benefits amid shutdown – Labour Minister

With only 22 days remaining before iTEL Guyana ceases its local operations, the Labour Ministry has indicated that the business process outsourcing (BPO) company’s management team would pay all its employees their full benefits.
Over 400 workers will lose their jobs and the financial support system when iTEL ceases operation on November 30.

In a written reply to this publication on Thursday, Minister Joseph Hamilton revealed that the Labour Ministry has engaged the management of the BPO company and all relevant information was provided.
As stipulated in Guyana’s Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act, upon the announcement of business closures, employers are mandated by law to inform the Labour Ministry, and provide them with the information needed to ensure that each employee being laid off is properly compensated.
This includes furnishing the Labour Ministry with documentation containing the names, years of service, and all other information necessary for determining an individual’s termination benefits.
Minister Hamilton has assured that labour officers “will continue to check the benefits paid, to ensure that they are correct”.
Meanwhile, Fernandes Guyana Enterprise, management of the local pastry franchise Demerara Bakery Incorporated, has finally informed the Labour Ministry on Thursday that the bakery would cease operating, after breaking the news to its employees on Wednesday.
According to Minister Hamilton, Fernandes Guyana Enterprise issued a letter to the Ministry informing that it would cease operations with effect from November 30, 2024. A meeting to discuss severance benefits for workers is schedule for next week.
Similar to Itel, Dem Bake cited rising operational costs, resources, and an ongoing labour shortage as key factors in the decision to close its doors. When questioned about this trend, the Labour Minister stated, “Except for the persons for a short term, this will hurt them (employers), because, while some doors are closed, there are several doors that are being opened. If you read the — I look at not so much the papers, but I look at social media, more so Facebook — posts of every day, (you will see) dozens and scores and hundreds of advertisements for vacancies and for staff. New companies, companies that are expanding… so all people have to do is pay attention to what is happening, and make themselves available and seek out places where employment exists. And people have to be flexible enough to understand that whilst you might want your preferred job, in my view, you need to be employed and then you work on your preferred job. So, I can say as Minister of Labour, there are hundreds of vacancies available right now in Guyana across the spectrum in all different sectors”.