Hinterland residents to be educated on workers’ rights as Labour Ministry clamps down on exploitation  

Recognising that many hinterland workers often fall prey to big companies who exploit and take advantage of their lack of knowledge about workers’ rights and contractual obligations, the Ministry of Labour has revealed plans to send legal professionals into various indigenous communities to sensitise residents on these matters.

Announced by Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton on Thursday during Day Four of the National Toshaos Council Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), this initiative aims to ensure hinterland residents become more au fait with workers’ rights and contractual obligations.

According to Hamilton, hinterland residents have been constantly exploited by contactors, particularly those in the gold mining and logging industry over the years.

“Toshaos would know that you have regular labour relations issues in your community where people go out and work for contractors or they go out and work for miners or loggers, and in a lot of instances, they are not paid.”

“I have had engagement with persons from many villages, who said we are old, and I would ask this simple question: do you know the name of the person you are working with for the last six months? …In one instance, seven gentlemen told me [they worked with a] man that is called “Mango”. So, they weren’t aware of the name of the person who they’re working with. They weren’t aware where the business place is located, and they weren’t aware of the person at all. So, at the level of the Ministry of Labour, we are incapable of ensuring we go behind that person to ensure that you’re paid or your villagers are paid,” the minister stressed.

To this end, Hamilton reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment towards ensuring hinterland workers are protected from these predators.

In fact, the Labour Minister highlighted that there is readily available personnel who can deliver vital educational courses in hinterland communities.

“We can put at your disposal our lawyers and the Chief Labour Officer, who also is a lawyer, and they can have crash courses with councillors and with Toshaos just to train you to do simple contracts, not to be a lawyer. Because the problem we have is the employee says the man promised me $7,500 a day, and the employer says no, I promised him $5,000 per day. If we have to take that employer to court, we can’t take ‘he say and she say’ to the Magistrate. We have to take evidence.”

“So, I’m urging again Toshaos to help us so that we can help your community, that we ensure that when people are leaving your village to go work with somebody, they have contractual obligations – the contractor, the gold miner, and we can help you via the legal team at the Ministry of Labour to ensure that you’re trained in this regard.”