The “red flags” that have been raised in the areas of labour relations and occupational safety and health in the mining sector are concerns that cannot be overlooked. “They have to be examined,” Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman told Stabroek Business.
Responding to a question posed by this newspaper regarding some of the findings of the recently assigned Minister in the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes arising out of workplace visits made during her tenure as Minister in the Ministry of Social Protection, Trotman said that safety and sound management/worker relations would be part of the focus of his Ministry.
The comment was made against the backdrop of charges in some quarters that what was widely regarded as Broomes’ uncompromising approach to creating a convivial labour relations environment as well as safe practices in the natural resources sector may have led to pressures on government to remove her from her previous portfolio. Asked subsequently whether the