Over the next two and a half weeks, the Labour Department will be undertaking a number of activities from Queen???s Park in the City, as it highlights and displays its operations.
This comes as part of the department???s yearlong 75th anniversary celebrations.
From this temporary location in Queen???s Park, members of the public will have access to the three sections of the Department, namely Safety and Health, Industrial Relations and National Employment Bureau.
Unemployed persons who have been referred by the NIS under the Unemployment Retraining Fund Programme will also be accommodated during the period.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, Minister of Labour, Senator Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo lauded the Department???s contribution over its 75 years of existence.
???Three years after the 1937 Riots the people of Barbados placed their hopes and aspirations for change in an institution that is now called the Labour Department???
“We celebrate labour management because we understand that in a liberal democratic and free society, the voices of the people and their representatives must be heard if peace, good order and goodwill are to prevail,??? the Minister declared.??She also acknowledged those Barbadians who lost their lives during the 1937 Riots.
???While we may not have the numbers or all the names, one thing is certain: they made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may have a better life???Today in whatever place in life we are, worker, employer, labour leader, politician, professional or man in the street, we all owe a great debt of gratitude to them.???
As part of the celebrations, the Labour Department invites members of the public to take part in several activities. These include a free theatrical presentation on Saturday, August 29, and Sunday, August 30, beginning at 6:15 p.m. on both days, as well as an exhibition mounted with the assistance of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society.
There will also be free one-hour public seminars on Labour Legislation to be held daily between 11:.00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., on topics such as the Employment Rights Act, Unfair Dismissals, Safety and Health at Work, Maternity Leave, and Holidays with Pay.
jamal.hall@barbados.gov.bb