ILO Director Joni Musabayana and Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton
Several officials from the Labour Ministry on Monday met with a delegation from the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean to discuss future collaborations between both parties and the way forward to strengthening their existing relationship.
Spearheading the meeting was Labour Minister Josheph Hamilton, who spoke of the significant progress demonstrated by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) department within four short years to reduce work-related injuries and fatalities and maintain a safe and healthy working environment.
This approach, he said, is a result of intensified sensitisation sessions aimed to educate public and private sector employees and employers on the OSH Act, Chapter 99:06, which highlights the importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and accident prevention amongst others.
However, efforts are being made to upgrade the country’s Occupational Safety and Health Act specifically to deal with the Oil and Gas sector to ensure the workers’ rights and welfare are secured. On this point the minister said that he hopes to partner with relevant stakeholders to develop a strategy to allow the department to oversee the operations of the facilities required within the sector.
The National Minimum Wage for private sector employees was increased during this period by 36 per cent from $44,200 to $60,147 in 2022. The achievements made by these departments and others, he said, were made possible under his directive, and by extension, the Government of Guyana. Following the meeting’s conclusion, the ILO team pledged to assist the ministry in every way possible to protect the wellbeing and rights of workers, despite their profession.
The Labour Ministry team was comprised of Hamilton, who was joined by Advisor to the Minister, Gillian Burton-Persaud, Chief Labour Officer, Dhaneshwar Deonarine, Consultant of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department, Gweneth King, Chief Executive Officer of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), Richard Maughn, Chief Recruitment and Manpower Officer, Yolanda Grant, and Chief Co-operatives Development Officer, Janaknauth Panchu among other officials.
The ILO team comprised Joni Musabayana, Director, Maria Victoria Giulietti, Senior Specialist for Employers’ Activities, Vera Guseva, Specialist for Workers’ Activities, and Ingerlyn Caines-Francis, Senior Programme Officer.
