Latest update November 24th, 2024 12:15 AM
ILO hosts workshop to discuss ‘informal economy’
A two-day workshop kicked off yesterday at the Herdmanston Lodge in Queenstown,
Social Protection Minister, Amna Ally delivering her remarks.
Georgetown to discuss the Labour Administration and its relationship with the informal economy.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), “The informal economy comprises half to three-quarters of all non-agricultural employment in developing countries.”
The organization is currently partnering with the Ministry of Social Protection to execute the workshop which includes stakeholders from the Guyana Geology and Mines, Guyana National Bureau of Standards, Ministry of Social Protection, Guyana Forestry Commission, National Insurance Scheme and the Ministry of Business. It was reported that the informal economy in Guyana occupies 30-40 percent of the workforce.
In addition to the ‘Introduction to the informal economy,’ the workshop will deal with topics such as “relevant ILO standards and principles, regulations for Guyana’s informal economy, informality and the employment relationship, undertaking an inspection, making decisions and follow up action, and supporting labour inspection and reflections.”
According to the ILO’s website “Although it is hard to generalize concerning the quality of informal employment, it most often means poor employment conditions and is associated with increasing poverty. Some of the characteristic features of informal employment are lack of protection in the event of non-payment of wages, compulsory overtime or extra shifts, lay-offs without notice or compensation, unsafe working conditions and the absence of social benefits such as pensions, sick pay and health insurance. Women, migrants and other vulnerable groups of workers who are excluded from other opportunities have little choice but to take informal low-quality jobs.”
The prevalence of informal employment and levels of precarious employment in Guyana and other parts of the world has been consistently on the rise.
“As a Government, we felt it necessary to hold such a workshop because of the consistent rise of the informal sector in Guyana and the effective measures that must be implemented to ensure all workers are protected,” Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally said in her address.
The ILO workshop in full swing at the Herdmanston Lodge in Queenstown, Georgetown, yesterday.
She also pledged the Government’s support to all stakeholders in dealing with the issue. She noted specifically, that “whilst in many cases the informal economy has become the only source of livelihood for those who cannot get into formal jobs, it is however, characterized by acute decent work deficits and higher risks than those in the formal economy.”
One of the risks includes a lack of protection by labour legislation. Minister Ally said that the bad conditions and the lack of regulations constitute a significant impediment to the development of sustainable societies and can have lasting development impacts on developing countries like Guyana.
“The constitution specifically makes provision for the protection of all workers, regardless of whether they are in the formal or informal economy,” Ally added.
Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection Keith Scott said that the ILO convention 1978 (No. 150) defines labour administration as “public administration activities in the field of national labour policy.” He said that it his view that the definition should be expanded to include other social partners who are integrally involved in the designing and application of national labour policies.
Scott said that there are some technicalities which he is confident will be addressed at the forum. He said that the government has dedicated a huge amount of resources in an effort to transition from the informal to the formal economy, an issue that is inextricably linked with the ‘Decent Work Agenda’.
The Minister said that the passion for the grand transitioning drive is directly linked to the need to eradicate poverty and that the transitioning process is intended to contribute to the attainment of about eight out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Guyana is the only country that has been able to receive additional funds from the ILO through the Decent Work Country Programme to help with furthering its agenda.
Rainer Pritzer, Senior Specialist for ‘Social Dialogue and Labour Administration’ within the ILO, said that he was happy that the ILO was able to generate extra funds for Guyana. He believes that the workshop shows that Guyana has set its priorities in working with the ILO on the issue of the informal economy, adding that the workshop is the first step in the ILO’s support to Guyana in the areas needed.
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