The issue of adherence to labour laws and regulations is indeed one that should always remain in focus and those who are charged with the responsibility of policing the system must always be alert and vigilant in executing their duties because too often unscrupulous business persons and industrialists violate them.

Worse yet, they do so in an attempt to maximise profits and in many instances workers safety and health are compromised in the process and this could result to very grave consequences as experience has shown.

Many enterprises are guilty of under paying their workers as well and not providing overtime time payments and other benefits which workers are entitled to in accordance with labour laws and regulations. A typical problem in this regard is the repetitive complaints by workers after retirement that their NIS deductions by their respective employers were not paid in and consequently they have to go through the agony of trying to get what is rightfully theirs but because of unscrupulous employers they have to suffer.

But with respect to non-observance of safety health requirements at work sites the end result could be fatalities and life long injuries and their associated consequences.

In this regard, when one looks at the global statistics the situation is indeed alarming if not frightening.

Terry Cook in his article “The rising toll of industrial deaths and injuries” discloses:

“An estimated 1.1 million workers around the world perish in industrial accidents or from industry-related diseases every year, and the toll will worsen dramatically in coming years. That was the warning of a report presented to the International Labour Organisation’s World Congress on Occupational Health and Safety in Sao Paulo last month.”

“This figure already exceeds the average annual number of lives lost from road accidents (999,000), war (502,000), HIV-AIDS (312,000) or violence (563,000). On the whole, 3,000 people are killed at work every day, or two every minute.”

“One quarter of industrial deaths–more than 250,000 a year–result from exposure to hazardous substances, which cause such disabling illnesses as cancer and cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous system disorders. The ILO predicts that this statistic will double to around 500,000 by the year 2002. There are approximately 160 million new industrial disease cases recorded every year.”

“In addition, workers annually suffer 250 million occupational injuries causing absence from work. That is, 685,000 accidents occur every day, 475 every minute or eight every second.”

“More shocking still is the revelation that working children are the victims of 12 million occupational accidents every year and an estimated 12,000 of these are fatal.”

“Another damning statistic is the number of deaths caused by asbestos. Despite the now well-known deadly effects of this material, workers continue to be contaminated at an alarming rate. Deaths from asbestos-related diseases stand at over 100,000 every year.”

“The report sheds light on the terrible human cost resulting from the unbridled operations of global capital in the regions known as “developing economies”. In their search for ever-cheaper labour, the transnational companies demand that the governments of these countries grant them extensive concessions, including the dismantling of what little labour legislation exists and the waiving of safety standards.”

In Guyana the Ministry of Labour has been stepping up its efforts to ensure employers comply with labour laws including those pertaining to safety and health and very notable and commendable it has been doing so not only through inspections and enforcement but through educational means through organised workshops, seminars, publications etc.

Recently, the Ministry made another wise move by going on an outreach to Bartica where the response was very good and this would have been predicted because people living in outlying areas may find difficulty in coming to Georgetown to have their matters addressed because of financial and other logistical problems.

One of the findings during the outreach was that many of the businesses were owned by foreigners and therefore they would be need for them to be updated and become acquainted with Guyana’s labour architecture.

This outreach approach should be expanded and become a permanent feature on the Ministry’s programme because in the past there has been a tendency to place nearly all the focus on Georgetown and its environs.