Region 6 businesses trained to generate better work environments 

A number of representatives of businesses in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) were engaged in a one-day seminar on the Conditions of Work, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) requirements, and Employment Exchange Services, in a continuation of the Labour Ministry’s efforts to push for healthier work environments.
Held at the Little Rock Suites in Berbice, the seminar was aimed to sensitise the business community in the region on the labour laws and regulations governing the conditions of work and a safe system of work.
Focus was placed 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, safety and health at work, and the employment services offered by the Ministry.
In opening remarks made at the seminar, Chief Labour Officer Dhaneshwar Deonarine urged the participants to view their employees as their greatest asset. He noted that if all present business representatives were complying with the labour laws, it would equate to approximately 350 workers’ rights and welfare being upheld.
Further, he explained that the Labour Ministry is seeking to build a partnership with the business community, as they are an important catalyst and means to promote and ensure compliance with the laws relating to conditions of work and OSH.
In that regard, Deonarine shared that from January to August, the Ministry conducted 407 inspections at workplaces in Region Six and found that approximately 53 per cent of the businesses complied with the requirements under the law, while 47 per cent were not following all of the requirements.
Meanwhile, 14 per cent of the inspected businesses and workplaces in the region had no wage records. As such, Deonarine reiterated a call for businesses to make a concerted effort to follow the laws, and to visit the Ministry’s offices at Lot 21 Princess Elizabeth Road, New Amsterdam, and Lot 12 Springlands, Corriverton, should they require advice and clarification on their obligations.
The Ministry regularly conducts sensitisation campaigns and training sessions to allow employees and employers to better understand how to establish and maintain a safe work environment.
Just Tuesday, the Ministry, in collaboration with Global People Services and Management (GPSM) Consultants Inc., concluded an accident and incident investigation training programme aimed at enhancing the abilities of safety and health officers.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, several employees of the Aurora Gold Mines/Zijin Mining Group, and Guyana Prison Services (GPS) officers participated in a respective three-day and four-day Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committee Training Programme facilitated by the Ministry’s OSH Department.