Government is assessing the possibility of establishing a Labour Court in a bid to ensure a quicker resolution of industrial disputes.
This is according to Junior Social Protection Minister with responsibility for labour Keith Scott who in his contribution to the Budget debates also disclosed plans to revamp the Ministry’s operations.
The Minister was optimistic of the impact a Labour Court or tribunal would make on labour relations.
According to Scott, stakeholders were brought on board with the intention of fine tuning such a plan.
“Towards that end the Ministry has engaged major stakeholders who comprised of the National tripartite committee which is currently examining those bill which should bring into existence either a Court or tribunal; the object of which will be to enhance labour management and ultimately the quality of life of all workers who should be able to experience a better conditions of work within their workplace” Scott said.
Besides considering the introduction of a labour court or tribunal, Scott also announced impending amendments to the labour laws.
He noted that with the oil and gas sector, there is likely to be an increase in businesses, especially from overseas.
In particular, Scott noted that the Labour Act can be used against employees in its current form.
For instance, the Minister stated that the Labour Act would be amended to make submissions of records mandatory when complaints from workers are being handled.
The Minister also acknowledged that the labour department has not been investigating labour related deaths in a timely manner.
He was optimistic that this will change, with monies from the 2019 budget that the Ministry of Social Protection received.
