Guyana: Labour Ministry conducts seminar on Conditions of Work, Occupational Safety and Health requirements

Guyana: The Labour Ministry of Guyana, on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, conducted a Seminar on Conditions of Work, Occupational Safety and Health requirements with a number of representatives of Security Firms in Georgetown.

According to the update shared by the ministry, the seminar aimed to educate security firm management on the laws and regulations governing working conditions and the safe system of work, in order to foster a better understanding of the country’s labour laws and, as a result, improve labour relations for security workers.

Dhaneshwar Deonarine, Chief Labour Officer (CLO), spoke briefly on the importance of treating workers fairly and justly. He stated that the Security Sector accounted for 26 per cent of all complaints received by the Department of Labour in 2022. Deonarine urged the participants to view their employees as their most valuable asset and announced that the Ministry of Labour wants to form a partnership with them.

This, he said, is because they are the catalyst and means for encouraging, promoting, and ensuring compliance with the laws governing working conditions, occupational safety, and health. He told them that the seminar “signals the Ministry’s intention to help them understand the labour laws and to encourage compliance with the said laws.”

The seminar was attended by representatives of eight (8) security companies, namely, RK Guyana Security, Castle Security, Brother’s Security, Kalibur Security, Dominion Security Services Inc., Strategic Security, OMO Security Service, and Elite Protective Services.

The participants benefitted from information on the labour laws governing Overtime Payments, Termination of Employment and Severance Pay, Inspection and Record-Keeping, National Minimum Wage, Probation Period and Leave with Pay, and Safety and Health at Work and the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Laws.

Presentations were made by Senior Labour Officers Michelle Baburam and Prandatt Basdeo and Senior OSH Officer Roydon Croal.