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Minister of Labour and Social Security, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, made this assertion recently during a courtesy call with Ambassador of the Philippines, Jocelyn Batoon-Garcia, at her Ministry’s headquarters in Warrens, St. Michael. (C. Pitt/BGIS)??

Labour legislation in Barbados protects and benefits both national and migrant workers employed in the island.

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, made this assertion recently during a courtesy call with Ambassador of the Philippines, Jocelyn Batoon-Garcia, at her Ministry’s headquarters in Warrens, St. Michael.

The Labour Minister told the Ambassador that in Barbados any employed person with a problem, regardless of his or her nationality, could approach the Labour Department for assistance.?? She also disclosed that government was looking at developing a migrant workers policy.

"The Prime Minister’s Office has asked representatives from this office (the Ministry of Labour) to help in developing a migrant labour policy [since] Immigration comes under the Prime Minister’s Office," Dr. Byer Suckoo explained.

During the call, the Ambassador said that a new legislation had been passed in the Philippines which required that country’s government, to determine whether countries hosting its workers, had laws that protected migrant workers.??

The Envoy divulged that Filipino overseas workers contributed substantially to that country’s economy, pointing out, that last year alone, they remitted about 20 billion dollars. She also noted that they contributed indirectly to the Filipino economy through supporting families, saving funds and micro enterprises.??

Ambassador Batoon-Garcia added that many of that country’s overseas-based Filipinos worked under deplorable conditions, hence the implementation of the new labour legislation and that government’s scrutinising of labour laws in various countries in which Filipinos work.

Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, explained that Barbados had signed the International Labour Organisation’s convention on Decent Work and stressed that the Employment Rights Bill, which referred to all sectors of workers in Barbados, also sought to protect the employee’s rights.

Author: Shamkoe Pil??

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