REMARKS BY SENATOR THE HONORABLE LAWRENCE A. JOSEPH,
MINISTER OF LABOUR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF GRENADA
AT THE XII INTER-AMERICAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF LABOR
Ottawa, October 2001
UPDATE ON INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LEGISLATION IN GRENADA
Grenada is a small tri-island state comprising the islands of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique. It has a population of over 100,000 people.
Grenada’s main economic activities are: agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and light manufacturing. The main agricultural products are: nutmegs and mace, cocoa, and bananas.
The employed population comprising approximately 35,000 people is spread over many other areas of economic activities including, construction, telemarketing, banking, and other service oriented occupations.
Many of those workers are unionised by way of some eight major trade unions in the country.
Generally the core labour standards are recognized in the ILO’s 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and rights at work, and its follow-up are adhered to in relation to industrial relations practices in the state.
A Labour Code comprising two Acts of Parliament namely “the Labour Relations Act” and “the Employment Act,” was enacting in 1999, and made effective in April 2000.
After over twelve years of consultations among the social partners, the Labour Code was finally pushed to fruition with the able assistance of the ILO Caribbean Office, whose efforts generally enhanced the process. Grenada can now boast of having one of the most modern bits of legislation which deals with labour relations.
The Labour code guarantees the right of every employee to take part in the formation of a trade union or federation; to be a member of any trade union federation; to take part in lawful trade union activities, to hold office in any trade union or federation and to exercise any right conferred or recognised by the Code and assist any employee, shop steward, safety representative, or trade union to exercise such rights.
It is an offence for anyone to inhibit or attempt to inhibit those rights, and anyone found liable will be subject to a fine or imprisonment.
Set procedures are laid down in the Code for the recognition of trade union as exclusive bargaining agents for workers in particular bargaining units.
Once trade unions are so recognised, then they have exclusive authority to bargain collectively on behalf of the employees in the bargaining unit and to bind them by collective agreement so long as such recognition remains in force.
The area of disputes procedures are in the process of being revisited for the purpose of giving further clarification in order to enhance the process. Amendments to the Labour Relations Act are now being contemplated.
With regard to fundamental rights of the employee, the Labour Code prohibits any requirement for anyone to perform forced labour; it prohibits discrimination against any employee on the grounds of race, colour, national extraction, social origin, religion, political opinion, sex, marital status, family responsibilities, age or disability in respect of recruitment, training, promotion, terms and conditions of employment, or other matters arising out of employment relationship.
The Code guarantees equal remuneration to male and female employees for work of equal value.
There is a strict prohibition on child labour with the cut off age being sixteen years. However, the Code makes allowance for children doing holiday jobs, work done by children in technical schools, on the job training or work experience exercises, work done on school-ships or training ships, provided that such work is approved and supervised by public authority.
The Labour Code also makes provision for the functioning of a Labour Advisory Board comprising equal number of representatives form trade unions, employers’ organizations and government.
This Board is responsible for advising the Minister of Labour on all labour matters including the following:
a. the formulation and implementation of national policies on basic conditions of employment and health, environment and safety and welfare at work;
b. the promotion of collective bargaining;
c. proposals for the adoption and amendment of legislation and
d. the review of the operation and enforcement of the Labour Code.
In general, industrial relations practices in the state of Grenada are satisfactory, but there is always room for improvement.
Participation in this XII Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour being held in Ottawa, Canada can only redound to the further enhancement of industrial relations practices in our state.
Much appreciation is expressed.