As Guyana continues to grapple with a labour shortage, while navigating the need for a stronger Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) culture, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) says it is continuing its efforts to address these issues, particularly through collaboration and stakeholder engagement.
Last Monday, a delegation from the GCCI met with Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton.
Among the issues addressed were the labour deficit that exists in the country and the need for this to be addressed frontally through increased training, as well as the worrying statistics as it relates to workplace accidents and fatalities. The minister noted that over the last four years, over 12,700 persons benefitted from technical and vocational training through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), while there has been an uptake in the number of females trained in non-traditional jobs.
As it relates to HSSE, Minister Hamilton stated that the number of persons harmed in work-related accidents so far this year is “frightening” as he invited private sector collaboration to address this challenge.
The discussions also touched on the need for systems to be put in place for decent accommodation for migrant labour in addressing the shortage, the need for legislation to govern recruitment services, and clear regulations as it relates to workers who are not guided by traditional hours and periods of employment, such as offshore workers.
The GCCI and Ministry of Labour will be engaging in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will guide their partnership in addressing these issues.
The Ministe’sr team included Chief Labour Officer, Mr. Dhaneshwar Deonarine; Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Consultant, Ms. Gweneth King; Chief Executive Officer of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), Mr. Richard Maughn; Chief Co-operatives Development Officer, Mr. Janaknauth Panchu; Assistant Chief Recruitment and Manpower Officer, Ms. Shaundell Glasgow, and Legal Officers Ms. Alyea Williams and Ms. Janelle Thomas.
The GCCI’s team included President and Chairperson of the Advocacy Committee, Mr. Kester Hutson; Senior Vice President and Chairperson of the Petroleum Committee, Mrs. Kathy Smith; Secretary and Chairperson of the Human Resource Management and Capacity-building Committee, Mrs. Melisa McRae-George; Councillor and Executive Member, Mr. Richard Rambarran; Councillor and Chairperson of the Security and Governance Committee, Mr. Paul Archer; Councillor, Mr. Keon Howard, and Councillor and Chairperson of the Green Committee, Mr. Delmar Walcott.
