Madam
President, Senate Colleagues:
I
wish to borrow a phrase from our Prime Minister The Most Honourable Dr. Hubert
Minnis who in his recent national address to the nation on the Hurricane Dorian
Restoration Efforts stated and I quote, “We are One Bahamas, One people, one
nation! When any part of our Commonwealth is affected, we are all affected.”
Madam
President
I
sincerely believe this statement to be true, that is why my Ministry has, over
the last few months, worked aggressively to ensure that we continue to make
life better for all Bahamians and residents of The Bahamas by following through
with our mission to provide Decent Work while at the same time fostering good industrial
harmony between Employees and Employers. We are continuing to promote high
levels of employment, productivity, human rights, and the Decent Work Agenda in
accordance with international standards.
Madam
President
I wish to take a few minutes to highlight some of the accomplishments of the Ministry of Labour which comprises The Department of Labour, The Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality, The Consumer Protection Commission, The Prices Commission, The Consumer Affairs Division, and The National Training Agency. I will also take a few minutes to appraise you of the wonderful joint project between the Government of The Bahamas and the IDB called The Skills for Current and Future Jobs Programme and then briefly on work of the National Tripartite Council.
Madam President
I am happy to report
that the Department of Labour Offices in Grand Bahama and Abaco are now
operational after being temporarily closed due to significant damages received from
Hurricane Dorian. The Grand Bahama Office re-opened on October 28th
of last year and the Abaco Office re-opened on January 16th of this
year. Residents of those communities can now once again enjoy the many services
provided by the Department of Labour and the Consumer Affairs Division.
Public Employment Services
Madam President
The Public Employment
Services Unit (PES) of the Department of Labour has
further enhanced its online platform to join job seekers with companies seeking
to achieve their staffing/ employment goals.
The new platform allows companies
to review resumes and they are also able to give feedback on perspective
candidates.
Trade
Disputes & Complaints
Madam President,
the Department of Labour continues to focus its attention on providing an
effective conciliation process whereby trade disputes are resolved in an efficient,
effective, and timely manner. Madam President, in New
Providence during 2019, 870 Trade
Disputes were filed at the Department of Labour compared with 924
cases in 2018. 401 were resolved, 290
are pending, 63 withdrew and 116 were referred to the Industrial Tribunal.
In the Family
Islands, there were a total of 278 Trade Disputes filed with the Department of Labour compared with 283
cases in 2018. 86 were resolved. 132 are pending. 8 withdrew and 52 were
referred to the Industrial Tribunal.
In New
Providence 1,771 Complaints were filed with the Department of Labour in 2019 compared
with 1501 in 2018. Of these Complaints, 1,288
were resolved, 293 were referred, 27 withdrew and 163 are pending.
In the Family
Islands a total of 718 Complaints were filed with the Department of Labour compared with 428
in 2018. 573 were resolved. 47 were referred. 2 withdrew and 96 are pending.
Madam President,
this year myself and the team at the Ministry of Labour and the Department of
Labour successfully intervened and brought to a successful conclusion a five
year industrial agreement between the management of Morton Salt and the Bahamas
Industrial Manufacturers and Allied Workers Union after being at a stalemate
for several years. Madam President, it is our hope that our labour
professionals at the Department of Labour will continue to intervene in long
outstanding industrial matters in an effort to bring management and employees
to the table and resolve outstanding industrial disputes and agreements.
It is our hope to foster an environment of industrial harmony in our country.
Madam President
The Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality (BBSQ) is
mandated by virtue of its Standards Act (2006) to promote effective and
efficient standardization of all goods and services (manufactured or imported)
in The Bahamas, through the formulation of
and/or adoption of international or regional standards. This is necessary:
- to support
sustainable development,
- to benefit and
protect the health, safety and welfare of consumers and the environment,
- to facilitate
domestic and international trade, and
- to further
international cooperation.
The BBSQ is also mandated by its Weights and Measures Act
(2006) to regulate all measurement activities that have a bearing on trade
within the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
Madam President
My Ministry continues to enhance the operations of the BBSQ
so that it can continue to implement quality infrastructure services in
standards, metrology and conformity assessment initiatives. My Ministry is currently enhancing its
staffing complement with the proposed addition of a Senior HR Officer, Finance
Officer, and additional Metrologists and technical officers. These efforts will put the BBSQ in a better
position to carry out its mandate.
Madam President
One major initiative that we started last year is the
Private-Public partnership between my Ministry, The BBSQ and EAA Company Ltd of
Japan. This Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) programme ensures that
ALL used vehicles being imported from Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom and
the United Arab Emirates are inspected and meet approved quality standards
before being shipped to The Bahamas.
This PVoC
programme has played a significant role in the detection and prevention of
sub-standard used vehicles being imported into our country; and it has proven
to be self-reliant for the Bureau of Standards. In other words Madam President, for every car
inspected by EAA Company, the BBSQ receives $20.00 per vehicle from the
inspection charge.
Madam President
Our Government
will no longer allow the practice of dumping non-roadworthy vehicles on our
roads to endanger the lives of Bahamian road users.
Since the
implementation of the PVoC programme in March 2019, we can report that a total
of 11,691 used units have been pre-inspected as of February 2020, this averages
approximately 1,000 units monthly.
Madam President
the agreement between the Ministry of Labour, the BBSQ and the EAA Company
Limited in Japan for the extension of this relationship will be signed in a
matter of days. The new agreement was negotiated for a further three years and
our contribution from inspection fees charged will increase from $20.00 to
$40.00 per vehicle. We have also asked EAA to look at a similar vehicle
inspection programme for vehicles coming from the United States into The
Bahamas.
Madam President, I am happy to report that The Bahamas is
second in the Caribbean next to Jamaica in leading the way with the
introduction of such a PVoC programme.
Marketing,
Communication and Awareness Campaign
Madam President,
the BBSQ is continuing with its three year strategic agenda started in 2019 to
provide a more heightened awareness and education campaigns aimed at enlightening
the public on the overall role of BBSQ, and the important work it undertakes
through its various activities.
We intend to
continue to roll out infomercials, some are currently being aired on ZNS, Cable
Bahamas, and ILTV TV stations, and on the radio. The BBSQ will continue
bringing awareness through sensitization meetings, forums and through
international observances such as World Standards Day, World Metrology Day, and
World Accreditation Day.
Further, the BBSQ
will also embark on developing its first promotional booklet, dedicated
specifically for Primary School students. The Booklet hopes to bring awareness
to the significance of standards and quality and how these affect our everyday
lives.
Enhancing
the Metrological capabilities in The Bahamas
Madam President
In order to ensure accurate and reliable measurements for trade, health, safety, and the environment, the BBSQ has procured a forty (40) foot laboratory container to enhance its capabilities. The lab will provide Calibration services in mass and volume, weights and measurements, and in industrial metrology.
Madam President,
In keeping with the Government’s commitment to ensure the full
protection of consumers throughout the length and breadth of The Bahamas, my
Ministry and its various agencies: The Consumer Protection Commission (CPC),
Prices Commission, and the Consumer Affairs Unit, have embarked on an
aggressive educational campaign to inform consumers of their legal rights with
respect to goods and services that they purchase or use.
The Consumer
Protection Commission (CPC) has as its mandate “To empower consumers and spread
awareness about consumer rights, consumer protection and regulations towards
building a well-informed community of discerning consumers.” The mission is aimed at protecting consumers from
fraudulent business practices as well as equipping consumers with relevant,
up-to-date and accurate information about their rights in a dynamic market
environment.
During this past year
the CPC has held campaigns and programmes to educate the public on how to file complaints.
The Board and Staff of CPC took to the streets distributing brochures and
pamphlets at various roundabouts and intersections. CPC also participated in
two trade exhibitions, which also expanded its outreach to educate the
consumers.
In January 2020, CPC
held a very successful One-Day Consumer Symposium under the theme: ‘Consumers,
Do you Know Your Rights?’ This symposium
brought together all of the Consumer agencies under the Ministry of Labour –
Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality (BBSQ); and Prices Commission and
Consumer Affairs Unit. It also included panelists from Bahamas Power and Light
(BPL) and the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA). CPC
intends to follow up with a second symposium in May 2020 and many more.
Going forward CPC,
BBSQ and Prices Commission will continue the campaign to educate consumers in
the Family Islands with particular emphasis in the near term on visits to Grand
Bahama, Exuma, Abaco and Bimini.
Madam President
World Consumer Day
The CPC, in
partnership with its sister agencies Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality
(BBSQ), Prices Commission and Consumer Affairs, will once again come together
to spearhead and coordinate activities to commemorate World Consumer Rights Day
2020 in The Bahamas. Consumers
International has announced that the theme for World
Consumer Rights Day 2020, to be
held in March 2020, will be ‘The Sustainable Consumer’. The campaign will discuss the need for sustainable consumption globally,
as well as highlight the important role that consumer rights and protection can
play. Our agencies will be incorporating this theme in the activities being
organized.
THE PRICES COMMISSION
Madam President
During the year 2019, there have been numerous cases in New
Providence and the Family Islands of merchants committing price infractions on
the breadbasket list of food items. These cases are considered to be serious
breaches of the Price Control Act and the Prices Commission is actively
pursuing these matters in conjunction with the relevant law enforcement
authorities. The Prices Commission has also beefed up its presence in the
Family Island and will be conducting surprise visits on various islands. The
Bahamian public can rest assured that the Prices Commission is fully committed
to protecting the consumers’ wellbeing.
CONSUMER AFFAIRS UNIT
Madam President
I wish to commend the hardworking and dedicated staff of
the Consumer Affairs Unit which principal mandate is to police the entire
Bahamian marketplace to ensure that the Price Control Act/Regulations are being
complied with and consumers are receiving the protection intended by law.
Officers are also charged with the responsibility of serving
as agents for the Consumer Protection Commission to ensure that consumers who
may experience challenges with the providers of goods and services can find
redress at the Commission.
Over the past year the Consumer Affairs Unit has been very
active in educating consumers of their rights and responsibilities and will
continue to do so in the ensuing months.
Madam President
I would like to point out that due to Hurricane Dorian the
Consumer Affairs Office in Grand Bahama was totally destroyed by flood waters.
To date the office space has been totally renovated.
In Abaco, two Officers from the Abaco office were
reassigned to Nassau after the hurricane. Since the office has been repaired,
there is a presence not back in Abaco. It
is anticipated that two Price Inspectors and a Filing Assistant will be engaged
shortly.
The Consumer Affairs Unit in Bimini will be relocated to the new Government complex and it is anticipated that two individuals will be engaged.
Madam President,
The National Training
Agency (NTA) is charged with the responsibility of workforce development with a
keen focus on training our nation’s youth, those between the ages of 16-30 who
are unemployed and currently unprepared for the workforce, to take advantage of
existing and emerging job opportunities.
Over the last year the
NTA continued to positively impact the lives of young Bahamians, providing them
with certifications and assisting them with fulltime employment. The Agency has
expanded its reach and has been strategic in offering training opportunities
that meet the needs of today’s workforce. These expansions include greater
collaboration with industry leaders and job providers, improved relationships
with the target audience in the inner cities, improvements in its core
offerings, assessments and delivery systems, and an overall improvement in the
use of modern technology.
Specific
results over the last year are as follows:
- 532 young Bahamians trained in Soft
Skills, workforce preparedness and certified in various skills including Food
and Beverage, Butler Services, Information Technology, Web Designs, Microsoft
Office, Allied Health Care, Housekeeping and Dive & Fishing Level 1.
- Overall job placement rate of 52% of
individuals trained.
- Expanded the list of qualified NTA
Assessors and Tutors by 18. All of whom are City and Guilds Certified.
- Launched the NTA Online Training
Platform, Brightspace, that has the capability of training Bahamians throughout
the Family of Islands.
- Expanded the list of Approved City and
Guilds qualifications offered at the NTA by 4.
- Reduced overall dependence on Government
funding by 40% due to revenue generation initiatives.
- Expanded the list of approved training
providers by 2
- Assisted with the recruitment of more
than 150 Bahamians for full time employment with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
and MSC.
- Successfully certified 6 Bahamians in Leadership and team skills at the NTA Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).
- Partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Science in offering the 1st cohort of training in Dive and Fishing Level 1. 28 young Bahamians, male and females obtained PADI certifications- (Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue). Madam President,
As you are aware the
National Tripartite Council was formally enacted into statute on March 3, 2015
and was established to serve as a forum for labour and industrial relations in The
Bahamas.
The Council, Madam
President has done significant work over the past year including, but not
limited to:
- Recommendation to enact National
Productivity Legislation and the establishment of a National Productivity
Council.
- Recommendations to
facilitate transferring of the functions of The Bahamas Industrial Tribunal to
the Civil Division of the Supreme Court.
- Final Report and
recommendations on the National Child Labour Policy.
- Recommendation to a
process to facilitate the creation of the Bahamas’ Second Generation Decent
Work Country Programme with the ILO to provide one hundred and seventy thousand
dollars ($170,000.00) in Technical Assistance.
- In February 2020 the
Council formally began the process to review the possibility of increasing the
National Minimum Wage.
Madam President,
The Skills for Current
& Future Job Programme is a joint project between the Government of the
Bahamas and the Inter-American Development Bank and is designed to reduce
unemployment by increasing and improving the access to quality jobs.
The primary objective of
the Programme is to increase employability and quality of employment to
beneficiaries by improving access to quality jobs in The Bahamas, especially
for youth. The Programme has the following specific Components and objectives:
- Component 1 –
Increase relevant skills, employability and productivity of participants
through Apprenticeships,
- Component 2 –
Improve the effectiveness of the Public Employment Services, and
- Component 3 –
Enhance the capacity of the labour market’s intelligence, monitoring and
evaluation systems with software investment.
The programme, which is a
major component of the Government’s Plan to improve the standard of living and
quality of life for Bahamian citizens, is being managed by a Steering Committee
and the Ministry of Labour is the leading government agency responsible for the
implementation of the Programme.
Madam President,
As I close, I wish to commend my
dedicated and hard-working team at the Ministry of Labour headed by Mr. Reginald
Saunders, Permanent Secretary (Acting), Senior Undersecretary William Pratt,
and Deputy Permanent Secretary (Acting) Mr. Ricardo Deveaux and our Executive
Manager Mr. Robert Farquharson. I also wish to commend the hard-working management
and staff at the Department of Labour, led by Director (Acting) Mr. John
Pinder, the National Training Agency, led by Mr. Gadville McDonald, The Bahamas
Bureau of Standards and Quality, led by Dr. Renae Ferguson-Bufford, The Prices
Commission, The Consumer Protection Commission, and the Consumer Affairs
Division.
I
also wish to thank the respective boards and committees for the tireless work
that they do to ensure that the Bahamian interest are served.
