– outlines a number of initiatives to benefit communities through jobs, training

REFUTING some of the claims made by a prominent representative of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly – Guyana (IDPADA-G) organisation that a building owned by a co-operative society on the Essequibo Coast, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton maintained that the building was previously unoccupied and is now serving the community.

Chairman of the IDPADA-G, Vincent Alexander had claimed during a press conference in August that the Ministry of Labour “forcibly took away” the building belonging to the Essequibo Regional Co-operative Union.
The exchange of words comes as IDPADA-G is yet to account for how the nearly $500 million received by the organisation over a five-year period has benefitted Afro-Guyanese.

Minister Hamilton, in his response to the public allegation by Alexander, explained that the building in question was unoccupied and not in use for over a year during the 2018/2019 period, although it had furniture.
Minister Hamilton indicated that the supervisory authority of the co-operative society is the Ministry of Labour. “But what I can say… [is that this] building has nothing to do with Mr. Alexander,” he said.

He went to state that the building was made available to the Ministry of Labour by the Guyana National Co-operative Union (GNCUL), which is the supervisory authority of co-operative societies.
“The possession of the building was made to us by Derrick Cummings who was then Chairman of the National Union,” said Minister Hamilton before adding: “So, we took possession of the building via keys.”

He said the Guyana National Co-operative Union was aware of the Ministry of Labour’s occupation of the building because there had been past conversations to establish a labour office.
There was also no limitation that stopped the Regional Co-operative Society from utilising the building because at the time, plans for the building was to facilitate an office and conduct training sessions by the Ministry of Labour through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT).

Minister Hamilton revealed that the building is currently being rented, as per an official one-year contract, to the tune of $250,000 dollars per month.
Minister Hamilton, while speaking on the current plans and programmes of the Ministry of Labour, said there are plans to further develop the skill sets of young people under the Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) co-operative society and Guyana National Co-operative Union.

He noted further that over 200 persons have been trained in different skill sets in the Region Two area since he assumed office.
“We have several training programmes that are happening. I am to be in Essequibo next weekend to launch some more programmes,” he said.

One of these programmes is the training of young women to drive tractors in the Mainstay/Whyaka Village. The Ministry of Labour, through the Board of Industrial Training, also has collaborations with the Essequibo Technical Institute (ETI) that is oftentimes used to facilitate technical programmes.

Another point raised by the Labour Minister was that technical personnel for the training programmes are usually from the communities or regions that helps to put revenue back into these places.
The minister also highlighted that the programmes act as encouragement to persons to seek other growth opportunities.

“Under the previous government, the average persons they trained yearly was 1,300 and 1,500 persons.
“We came into office in August, by the end of 2020, we had already trained over 2,000 persons. Last year 2021, we trained 3,086. This year we set out to train 4,500,” he said.
He noted that the BIT programmes occur throughout the 10 administrative regions, and has seen graduates go on to work in different sectors.
Minister Hamilton concluded that the Ministry of Labour will continue to implement training programmes that will benefit the people of Guyana.