Govt launches mobile app to address labour issues

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In keeping with its push for the decentralisation and modernisation of its services, the Ministry of Labour, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, launched its first public mobile application on Google Play and App Stores.

The app, titled β€œLabour Advice”, will allow for the computerised management of complaints and inquiries being submitted to the ministry’s Labour Department.

Chief Labour Officer, Mr. Dhaneshwar Deonarine, noted that the app serves as both a quick and easy mechanism to access the ministry’s advisory services and lodge disputes and complaints.

β€œπ‘»π’‰π’Šπ’” 𝒂𝒑𝒑 π’Šπ’” π’…π’†π’”π’Šπ’ˆπ’π’†π’… 𝒕𝒐 π’ˆπ’Šπ’—π’† π’˜π’π’“π’Œπ’†π’“π’” 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’†π’Žπ’‘π’π’π’šπ’†π’“π’” 𝒂 π’„π’π’π’—π’†π’π’Šπ’†π’π’•, π’†π’‡π’‡π’Šπ’„π’Šπ’†π’π’•, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒓-π’‡π’“π’Šπ’†π’π’…π’π’š 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒕𝒐 π’”π’•π’‚π’š π’Šπ’π’‡π’π’“π’Žπ’†π’… 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 π’•π’‰π’†π’Šπ’“ π’“π’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’•π’” 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’”π’†π’†π’Œ π’‚π’”π’”π’Šπ’”π’•π’‚π’π’„π’† π’˜π’‰π’†π’ π’π’†π’„π’†π’”π’”π’‚π’“π’š,” he expressed.

He further reinforced that the app would not replace the ministry’s current walk-in services, but instead bolster the ministry’s capacity to ensure that Guyanese across the length and breadth of the country can access these services.

Meanwhile, the Honourable Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton, who delivered feature remarks, stated that it is especially important to view the launch against the backdrop of the development that has been taking place in the labour sector since the re-establishment of the Labour Ministry in 2020.

β€œπ‘Ύπ’† 𝒂𝒓𝒆 π’Žπ’π’—π’Šπ’π’ˆ π’‡π’“π’π’Ž 𝒂 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 π’˜π’‰π’†π’“π’† π’‡π’“π’π’Ž 2015 𝒕𝒐 2020, π’•π’‰π’Šπ’” π’„π’π’–π’π’•π’“π’š 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒓 π’Žπ’Šπ’π’Šπ’”π’•π’“π’š, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 π’Šπ’” π’Šπ’Žπ’‘π’π’“π’•π’‚π’π’• 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆. π‘»π’‰π’“π’π’–π’ˆπ’‰ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆-π’†π’”π’•π’‚π’ƒπ’π’Šπ’”π’‰π’Žπ’†π’π’• 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒓 π’Žπ’Šπ’π’Šπ’”π’•π’“π’š, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’†π’™π’‘π’‚π’π’”π’Šπ’π’ 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒐𝒇, 𝒕𝒐 π’•π’π’…π’‚π’š, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 29𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 π‘΄π’‚π’š, π’˜π’† 𝒂𝒓𝒆 π’π’‚π’–π’π’„π’‰π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒂 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒓-π’‡π’“π’Šπ’†π’π’…π’π’š π’‚π’‘π’‘π’π’Šπ’„π’‚π’•π’Šπ’π’ 𝒕𝒐 π’‚π’π’π’π’˜ 𝒇𝒐𝒓 π’˜π’π’“π’Œπ’†π’“π’” 𝒕𝒐 π’†π’π’ˆπ’‚π’ˆπ’† 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’Žπ’Šπ’π’Šπ’”π’•π’“π’š 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒓,” he highlighted.

He further pointed out that when the ministry was re-established, it deliberately set out to ensure that offices were established in every regionβ€”except for Region Eightβ€”for the convenience of workers countrywide.

This approach was to ensure that persons have direct access to officers of the Ministry of Labour.

β€œπ‘»π’‰π’‚π’• π’˜π’‚π’” 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’‡π’Šπ’“π’”π’• 𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’” π’‚π’„π’•π’Šπ’—π’Šπ’•π’š. 𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 π’π’π’˜ π’Žπ’π’—π’Šπ’π’ˆ π’Šπ’π’•π’ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 π’•π’†π’„π’‰π’π’π’π’π’ˆπ’š 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’“π’†π’‚π’…π’š 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒓 π’Žπ’Šπ’π’Šπ’”π’•π’“π’š,” Minister Hamilton underscored.

He emphasised that the work of the Ministry is clear in several areas.

This includes the thousands of individuals graduating annually from the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), persons gaining employment through the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA), the revitalisation of the Co-operatives sector through the Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies (CO-OP), the promotion of safety and health in workplaces through the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department, and the advocacy of the protection of workers’ rights through the Labour Department.

β€œπ‘»π’‰π’†π’“π’† 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 π’•π’Šπ’Žπ’† π’Šπ’ π’•π’‰π’Šπ’” π’„π’π’–π’π’•π’“π’š π’˜π’‰π’†π’“π’† 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π‘΄π’Šπ’π’Šπ’”π’•π’“π’š 𝒐𝒇 𝑳𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒓 π’Šπ’” π’—π’Šπ’”π’Šπ’ƒπ’π’† π’π’Šπ’Œπ’† π’Šπ’• π’Šπ’” π’•π’π’…π’‚π’š. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒇, 𝒂𝒔 π’•π’‰π’†π’š π’”π’‚π’š, π’Šπ’” π’Šπ’ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’‘π’–π’…π’…π’Šπ’π’ˆ. 𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕, 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 π’šπ’†π’‚π’“π’”, π’•π’‰π’“π’π’–π’ˆπ’‰ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’˜π’π’“π’Œ 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π‘ͺπ’‰π’Šπ’†π’‡ 𝑳𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒓 π‘Άπ’‡π’‡π’Šπ’„π’†π’“ 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’‰π’Šπ’” π’π’‡π’‡π’Šπ’„π’†π’“π’”, π’˜π’† 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 $160 π’Žπ’Šπ’π’π’Šπ’π’ π’‡π’“π’π’Ž π’†π’Žπ’‘π’π’π’šπ’†π’“π’”, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 π’†π’Žπ’‘π’π’π’šπ’†π’†π’”.

β€œπ’€π’π’– 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒂 π’‘π’“π’Šπ’„π’† 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’˜π’π’“π’Œ 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒓 π’…π’†π’‘π’‚π’“π’•π’Žπ’†π’π’• 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔, 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕, 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’” π’„π’π’–π’π’•π’“π’š 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’”π’–π’π’…π’“π’š. 𝑺𝒐, 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 [𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅] π’‚π’‘π’‘π’“π’†π’„π’Šπ’‚π’•π’† 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’“π’†π’„π’π’ˆπ’π’Šπ’”π’† 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’Šπ’Žπ’‘π’π’“π’•π’‚π’π’„π’† 𝒐𝒇 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’” π’‚π’‘π’‘π’π’Šπ’„π’‚π’•π’Šπ’π’, π’Šπ’•π’” 𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒉, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’Šπ’Žπ’‘π’π’“π’•π’‚π’π’„π’† 𝒐𝒇 π’†π’π’ˆπ’‚π’ˆπ’Šπ’π’ˆ π’†π’™π’‘π’†π’…π’Šπ’•π’Šπ’π’–π’”π’π’š π’˜π’Šπ’•π’‰ 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 π’˜π’‰π’ 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 π’„π’π’Žπ’‘π’π’‚π’Šπ’π’•π’” π’‡π’“π’π’Ž π’…π’‚π’š 𝒕𝒐 π’…π’‚π’š,” Minister Hamilton stressed.

Finally, he took the opportunity to urge those with industrial relations matters to contact the Labour Ministry to have their disputes or queries sufficiently addressed, rather than airing grievances publicly.

β€œπ‘°π’‡ π’šπ’π’– 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 π’‘π’“π’π’ƒπ’π’†π’Ž, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 π’„π’π’Žπ’† π’Šπ’” 𝑳𝒐𝒕 82 π‘©π’“π’Šπ’„π’Œπ’…π’‚π’Ž 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 π’šπ’π’–π’“ π’Žπ’‚π’•π’•π’†π’“ 𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 π’˜π’† 𝒄𝒂𝒏 π’Šπ’π’—π’†π’”π’•π’Šπ’ˆπ’‚π’•π’†,” he said.

The launch of the β€œLabour Advice” mobile application ties into the ministry’s efforts to digitalise, and thereby improve its services through a shift towards more localised and innovative approaches.

This includes the Ministry’s National Job Bank, which was launched through the Ministry’s Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA) in March of 2022.
Both of these services were created in collaboration with the National Data Management Authority (NDMA). [Press Release]

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