– hundreds turn out to job fair
IN a quest to provide effective and efficient employment services to job seekers and employers in Region Ten, the Ministry of Labour embarked on a two-day campaign in the Region, as part of several activities planned for the observance of International Occupational Safety and Health (OS&H) day on April 28.
Lindeners were afforded the opportunity to access information on available vacancies and training opportunities provided by the Government, through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) and the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA).
The activity included a job fair, business seminar, workplace inspections and a live television programme.
Minister of Labour Mr. Manzoor Nadir, who was in the region for an OS&H seminar sponsored by several private and public entities in Linden, inclusive of the Linden Electricity Company, Linmine Secretariat and BOSAI, used the opportunity to inform employers and employees about the country’s labour laws.
This year, on April 28, More than 170 countries around the world will join in the observance of International Occupational Safety and Health Day under the theme Management System – ‘A Tool For Continual Improvement’.
Nadir noted that for the past 13 years, Guyana has been celebrating OS&H day with a month of activities.
He said, in 1997, Guyana passed a comprehensive OS&H legislation and “so we thought it would be a great idea to have one month of activities not only to heighten awareness about occupational safety and health but to educate employers and employees about their rights”.
In addition, he said that any employer, who has more than 20 employees, must have a statutory OS&H officer and a committee.
“The burden is on management to put in place protocols for occupational safety and health in the workplace and too often management takes things for granted…(for instance) when it comes to keeping records, our laws state that if there is an accident at the workplace/site, you have a week to report it and when there is a death you need to report it immediately to the Ministry of Labour,” he pointed out.
Nadir said the management of companies need to change the way they look at employees’ rights and benefits.
“If someone dies on the workplace/site due to the lack of safety protocols, the management is liable under the workers’ compensation act to the life earnings of that worker and you have to compensate the victim’s family. The same goes to permanent injury,” Minister Nadir told Managers at the seminar.

LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR EMPLOYEES

In 2010, the ministry collected over $30M in compensation from defaulting employers, who breached labour laws.
In addition to this, Minister Nadir said that over 900 complaints were recorded at the Ministry in 2010.
Warning managers, Minister Nadir said the ministry is serious about OS&H and will leave no stone unturned in bringing justice to employees who had their rights denied.
“We are serious about ensuring that we look after 260,000 hard-working people we have in the workforce,” Minister Nadir said.
While it has the power to close defaulting workplaces, he indicated that his ministry will work with defaulters to correct the breaches and, after failing to adhere to several warnings, the only resort will be to close the business.
Annually, he said 1100 work-related accidents are reported to the ministry, out of which half comes from the agricultural sector.
“On the other hand, we had 13 occupational deaths last year in the mining industry,” Minister Nadir reported.

JOB FAIR

Minister Nadir, who also visited the job fair that was held at the Linden Economic Advancement Programme building, said the Labour, Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) department like many other Government agencies over the past years have been taking its services directly to the people, and since 2002 the Ministry of Labour has been reaching out to regions across Guyana with its job fair.
The fair, he said is in keeping with the ministry’s aim to sensitize young people about the opportunities being offered by Government through the CRMA and BIT.
He said that from January to April, the ministry conducted several outreaches in Regions Two, Four, Six, Eight and Ten.
In addition to the job fair, persons were also provided with the opportunity to check their HIV status.
Employers and employees were also given the opportunity to hold one-on-one interaction with officials from BIT and CRMA.

JOB TRAINING

Lindeners have been taking advantage of the services being offered by BIT, as more than 115 persons were trained in 2009 and 120 in 2010.
In addition to this, he said the ministry is also offering training programmes for single parents and through the Linden Foundation programme more than 40 single-parent women graduated in garment construction last year.
In 2010, Minister Nadir said that over 100 young people were provided with on-the-job training.
A report from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said he reiterated that all the opportunities being provided are testimony to the administration’s commitment in preparing youths for a bright and bold future.
Pamphlets, brochures, booklets and posters with information on a healthy lifestyle, and occupational safety were distributed to the hundreds of people who attended the fair.
The CRMA and BIT – both of which fall under the Ministry of Labour, began holding job fairs and registration exercises for persons between the ages of 18 and 25 years around the country who are seeking employment and for those who are seeking skills training.
From 2004-2008, a total of 10,117 people were registered for placement through the CRMA and of this number 7,030 were placed in jobs.
GINA said the registration and placement figures are representations of persons who registered and received placement through the offices in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.
Minister Nadir also took the opportunity to follow-up with members of the Linden Chamber of Commerce preparations for the up-coming Linden Town week.