Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 13, 2016 News
The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Annual Conference in Geneva, Switzerland has come and gone, without official representation from the Guyana government. This is the second year Guyana has not sent anyone and the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) is not happy.
Pointing to the ramifications of Guyana not attending, the union expressed its consternation in a release yesterday. According to the Union, attendance at this conference is crucial as this is how ideas are shared and programmes for bettering the labour force in respective countries are developed.
“The GTUC is publicly registering its consternation at the failure of the Government to attend the ILO annual conference, for two consecutive years,” the union said. “The ILO conference is the forum where Government, Employers and Workers organisations meet to discuss issues that impact on the well-being of each group.”
“These discussions guide the conceptualization and development of conventions and programmes. The 2016 Conference is being held from 1st -13th June. It would have been to the nation’s advantage for Guyana to be represented, where involvement would have taken place in the discussions and shaping of policies and programmes. Guyana would have also benefitted from the input of other participants.”
According to the union, upon hearing that Guyana will once again not be attending the event, they made efforts to ascertain the reason for non-participation. It is then, according to the union, that they were advised that the government “does not have the money to attend.”
“GTUC finds it instructive that while the government claims it could not find the funding to attend and participate in the conference, at the same time Minister Keith Scott who has responsibility for Labour and was identified to be at the Conference, has travelled to Europe, for only God knows what.”
The union also noted that developing a green economy would be on the conference’s agenda. They noted that given the administration’s frequent claim to be pursuing a green economy in its development goals, it would have been a chance for Guyana to have a stake in any ILO formulated green economy projects.
“GTUC recognizes that every government operates with limited and scarce resources equally as it calls on this government to be make judicious determination in its spending and the prioritization of events, of which the ILO conference should be within the top priority.”
Other complaints
“Outside of non-attendance to ILO conferences, GTUC continues to receive complains from workers that they are being turned away from the Ministry of Social Protection when they seek to lodge complaints against employers. The process in industrial relations on matters of such nature is not to turn away complainants but to activate a process to investigate and resolve the complaint.”
“GTUC once again is nudging the government to establish a Ministry of Labour that will be dictated to address Labour and its attendant issues. During the 6-month Minister Broomes held the portfolio of Labour responsibilities strident efforts were taken to uphold time-honoured principles, conventions and laws in the interest of all, i.e. workers, employers and government. This has been an approach consistent with good governance and ensuring stable industrial relations climate. Efforts must be made to restore and build on good practices.”
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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