Labour Minister discusses migrant workers’ welfare with PSC

Jul 27, 2024 News

Kaieteur News – Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton on Thursday met with representatives of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) to discuss migrant workers and their wellbeing. The meeting was held at the PSC’s Waterloo Street, Georgetown.

The Minister was accompanied by the Consultant of the Occupational Safety and Health (OHS) Gweneth King, Head of the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA), Yolanda Grant, Chief Executive Officer of BIT, Richard Maughn and Legal Officers, Alyea Williams and Ms Janelle Thomas. The PSC team included Chairman Komal Singh and members Kit Nascimento and Charles Ogle among others.

According to a statement issued by the Labour Ministry, the meeting focused on fostering a partnership between the two entities to address the living and working conditions of migrant workers and to explore possible ventures to ensure their safety and well-being and establish a database that assesses and catalogs warehouse items stored particularly in the Oil and Gas sub-contractors.

Importantly, this approach will allow the Ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department to do inspections to ensure companies comply with the safety standards outlined in the OSH Act.

Minister Hamilton said this approach is in keeping with his government’s manifesto promise to secure the rights and well-being of workers, empowering its citizens through skills training programmes, and boosting employment opportunities.

“Discussions also touched on forming a joint venture to monitor and inspect the construction sector to ensure safe and healthy workplace practices are conducted to minimize workplace accidents and fatalities, exploring an apprenticeship network with the help of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), as well as boosting the efforts of the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA) as it relates to employment opportunities,” the ministry stated in the press release.

According to the Ministry, Minister Hamilton referenced the progress achieved during his tenure in the areas of training, workplace inspections and awareness sessions, access to employment opportunities via the launch of the National Job Bank and educating workers about their rights.

“Such achievements, he said, can reach new heights to reach their targeted audiences by partnering with relevant stakeholders such as the PSC,” the ministry said.

To this end, both the Ministry of Labour and the private sector have agreed to work together to address the matters highlighted.

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Joseph Hamilton, Labour Ministry, migrant workers, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), Private Sector Commission

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