Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/4702/-1/140/
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ILO TO REVIEW ANGUILLA'S LABOUR DEPARTMENT Need For Tripartism
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The Caribbean sub-regional office of the ILO will be carrying out a diagnostic study of the Labour Department in Anguilla next month.
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Mr Russel reid
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This has been revealed by Labour Commissioner, Russell Reid, while delivering a Labour Day message.
He said the review would aim at: assessing the current responsibilities of the department in relation to the essential requirements of the labour administration functions from the ILO standards perspective; identifying the core functions of the department; identifying new functions, demands and challenges; discussing the required structure, resources and capacity for the department; and developing appropriate recommendations in a report for submission to Government.
Mr. Reid expressed the hope that recommendations would be made and approved to give the department more ‘teeth’ to deal with the increased complexities of the labour market and the inevitability of conflicts in the workplace.
Meanwhile, the Labour Commissioner stressed the importance of tripartism, a matter new actively being looked at by a recently-appointed Tripartite Committee.
“Tripartism is the process where government, workers and employers meet to identify problems in the world of work and above all of finding possible solutions to them,” Reid explained. “It builds dialogue and consensus; but most important, it is vital for social and economic stability and progress.”
He continued: “This debate is timely given the unprecedented social and economic changes currently ongoing in Anguilla and even greater changes yet to come.
“The industrial relations climate in Anguilla is to some extent still relatively peaceful, but of late we have seen some volatility. The department continues to be inundated with complaints from both employers and employees alike. Some of the vexing issues include, but are not limited to, the distribution of service charge, absenteeism, low productivity, victimisation, lateness and non-payment of social security. Other issues include the need for a minimum wage and pension plans especially for the hotel sector employees.
“Clearly, there is a need for all stakeholders to meet and have meaningful social dialogue and general consensus on the aforementioned matters. There is a myth that the Department of Labour acts as a labour union. In fact, the department has to be very impartial in making judgments under the guidance of the labour laws.
“Additionally, Government must ensure that the necessary pre-conditions exist for social dialogue. Government must also respect the role of the social partners. The fundamental premise of true tripartism is the freedom of workers and employers to form organisations that represent their own interest. This is mandated by the ILO via its two basic conventions, the Freedom of Association and the Protection of the Right to Organise Convention and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention. There are also provisions in the Anguilla Constitution to this effect.
“Workers’ organisations, however, need to empower workers in sectors where representation is low in order to enable them to exercise their rights and defend their interest. Likewise, employers’ organisations must reach out to sectors where representation levels are low in order to support the development of a business culture in which tripartism and social change can flourish.
“I wish to reiterate that organising is primarily the task of the unions and employers themselves. It is not the job of the Labour Department as I alluded to earlier. The department cannot be the judge and jury.
“Another key ingredient needed for the realisation of true tripartism is the institutional strengthening of the Department of Labour. Frankly speaking, the department has very little authority. The organisation is too advisory and is often the recipient of undeserving criticisms for actions done by others. However, despite the adversity the department continues to be consistent and focussed in carrying out its mission.”