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Minister of Labour, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo??

Government, the Social Partners and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) will convene a symposium next week to examine matters of national and social importance.

The two-day conference, entitled: Tripartism and Social Dialogue: Comparative experiences in dealing with economic and social development issues, will be held from Tuesday, May 17, until Wednesday, May 18, at the Hilton Barbados, Needhams Point. ??Minister of Labour, Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, will deliver the feature address at the opening ceremony, which begins on Tuesday, at 9:00 a.m.

Other speakers will include representative of the ILO’S governing body, Sir Roy Trotman; President of the Caribbean Employers’ Confederation (CEC), Marcel Meyer; General Secretary of the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL), Chester Humphrey; and Assistant Director-General and Regional Director ILO Latin America, Elisabeth Tinoco Acevedo.

On Tuesday, May 17, University of the West Indies’ lecturers, Professor Andrew Downes and Dr.Lawrence Nurse will examine the experiences of the social partnership arrangement in Barbados, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Following the discussion, panelists, including Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Chris Sinckler, will look at the topic: Social Dialogue and Social Partnership as a means to advance National Economic and Social Development. This will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Day one’s session will conclude with panelists addressing: The Role of Social Dialogue in Improving Workplace Productivity; with emphasis on how to achieve harmonious workplace relationships and to keep the environment efficient, effective and productive.

On Wednesday, May 18, delegates will discuss: Taking Advantage of Tripartism-Social Dialogue to Support Regional Integration and Enhance Its Merits, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. The session will continue on the subject of maximising social and labour benefits of external trade and investment agreements through social dialogue. It gets under way at 11:00 a.m. and concludes at 1:00 p.m.

It will be followed by a presentation on the issue of Labour Market Information Systems, by Director of the International Labour Standards Department, ILO, Geneva, Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. There will be closing remarks by representatives from government, the CEC, the CCL and the ILO at 4:00 p.m.

The international labour symposium is expected to attract 100 delegates, representing 13 member-states and nine non-metropolitan territories in the English-speaking Caribbean.

clashley@barbados.gov.bb

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