The World Federation of Trade Unions lauded Guyana for the provisions made to protect workers, when Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul met yesterday with Ramon Cardona Nuevo, the Federation’s Secretary for Latin America and Caribbean.
A release from the Ministry of Labour said that the meeting heard that Guyana has implemented a National Minimum Wage, a 40-hour work week and it is also the first Caribbean country to sign ILO Convention No 189 which offers protection to domestic workers, a report from the ministry said.
Cardona was high in praise of Guyana for undertaking these initiatives, noting that trade unions in many countries around the world are still battling to have governments recognize 40-hour work weeks and overtime pay for excess of eight hours per day. “This is not the situation around the world. Many are now fighting to achieve this,” he said.
In his remarks, Dr Gopaul also spoke of Guyana’s efforts to end child labour through the provision of secondary education and technical and vocational training for early school leavers through the Board of Industrial Training. He said too the “working class” government has worked hard to create laws to protect workers’ rights.
In this context, several of the labour laws provide compulsory jail terms for violations, including the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act. Provisions have also been made for the recognition of unions which have the support of at least 40 per cent of workers.
“These are good things for workers and we should have Guyana share its experience with the rest of the Caribbean and even the world,” Cardona said, extending an invitation for Guyana to do so at a conference billed for early next year. He also invited Guyana to participate in the sixth conference of the World Federation of Trade Unions planned for next year in Curacao.
The meeting also discussed other issues such as the protection of workers employed by foreign companies and the possibility of Guyana cementing its relationship with the World Federation of Trade Unions. Cardona’s trip to Guyana is part of a round trip that includes visits to Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Jamaica, Barbados and Grenada.
Komal Chand, president of GAWU and a vice president of the World Federation of Trade Unions, also attended the meeting, the report said.
