Labour Department resolved 300 complaints for 2016- Minister Scott

Georgetown, GINA, July 13, 2016

The Ministry of Social Protection’s Department of Labour closed about 300 of the over 500 complaints between January to June of this year, said Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott.

During an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), Minister Scott explained that the outstanding complaints are currently being dealt with; however the Ministry is currently seeking additional labour officers to fast-track the process.

“We have advertised for more staff to be trained as labour officers…We know that there is a back-log but we are working on that,” Minister noted.

He said that the Ministry has however, increased its inspections over the past six months to ensure that employers are adhering to the labour laws of Guyana, and to educate workers of their rights.

“We have insisted that our policy is that you visit employers on a regular basis. We have also increased our visits not only to ensure labour laws are adhered to, but also Occupational Health and Safety laws and we even look at whether employers are paying workers’ NIS correctly, because there is a collaboration between the Ministry and NIS,” the Minister pointed out.

Minister Scott said that the intention is to not only ensure that workers’ rights are protected, but employers are aware of what is expected of them.

Since the coalition government took office in May 2015, it has been conducting regular inspections of work places to ensure that workers are functioning in a comfortable environment, especially in Georgetown and the mining areas.