ILO Senior Specialist addresses workshop

Senior Specialist on Industrial Relations and Labour Administration, for the Subregional office for the Caribbean, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Samuel Goolsarran is advising Caribbean employers, workers and governments to be more harmonious in their industrial disagreements.

Goolsarran, who was addressing participants on Wednesday at the opening of the two-day workshop of the St.Vincent Employers’ Federation/ILO Caribbean Office, said that too many labour disputes drag on into confrontational, adversarial clashes that benefit neither the worker nor employer.{{more}}

Goolsarran emphasised the need for Caribbean countries to uplift their regulations to ILO standards, which he said will improve labour relations, not only among other Caribbean countries, but with international ones as well.

Goolsarran also saw the need for trade unions to become more accountable and transparent in the representation of their members, so that they become a powerful negotiating force.

Meanwhile, General Secretary of the National Workers Union, Noel Jackson has blamed some lackadaisical labour officers for the lengthy and fierce disputes which occur between employers and employees.

The Trade Union General Secretary however warned some people about wanting to pursue frivolous cases and warned that the ILO was not a “sports club” but dealt with cases of gravity.

Jackson was however quick to point out that some employers were callous in their decisions, and used demotions as a means of frustrating their employees into quitting and agreed with Executive Director of the St.Vincent Employees Federation, Gerald Crick that the Protection of Employment Act needed “patching up.”

Also addressing the function was Junior Bacchus of Consumer Affairs Department.