| ….even from homeGovernment says it will be pursuing the introduction of measures to allow public servants to work flexible hours, even possibly operating from home.Speaking at a meeting at the Pegasus Hotel, Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir, on Monday stated that his Ministry is developing online software that will allow labour inspectors and others to post work over the internet.The Minister made the disclosure to several labour officials of Caribbean countries and representatives of the Organization of American States, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and CARICOM, who are in Guyana to explore guidelines that will strengthen labour ministries’ work in gender equality.The workshop “Strategic Planning with a Gender Perspective”, is an activity of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) working in coordination with the OAS Department of Social Development and Employment and the Ministry of Labour,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys China, Human Services and Social Security.According to Nadir, while gender mainstreaming is important in the context of labour, it assumes more significance for the issues of production and productivity.The Ministry’s role, therefore, is not only to settle industrial disputes and ensuring a peaceful labour climate,Jerseys Wholesale, but that there is maximum output and provisions of quality service by the people.He admitted that the number of women in workplaces has to improve drastically, as currently less than 50% of the women in the workforce are not there formally.With evidence to suggest that women in Guyana are being hired for a specific type of job, the Minister again admitted that there seems to be “inertia” to change this. He urged for data that is being gathered to be fully analyzed since it would effectively reveal the problems.It was noted that in Guyana, the majority of women are hired in the retail/textile business with little evidence of their presence in areas like mining and sawmilling, and efforts are being made to improve this.The figures for banks and the telecommunication industries are more favourable.Presently at the University of Guyana, indications are that less males have signed up and it may be that the legal and medical fields will be significantly tilted in balance within five years by the number of females.Another challenge facing Guyana is the number of school dropouts – almost 30%. Already, the government,Cheap NFL Jerseys, cognizant of this development, has introduced the National Youth Empowerment Programme,Kurt Warner Cardinals Throwback Jersey, with several hundred already graduating and another 1100 set to do so.Yet another key intervention is the creation of a national register for single parents with 18,000 of them already recorded in the system. Some of the more vulnerable have become eligible for assistance, the Minister said. And of those that graduated from training, some $25M was earmarked to ensure that each receives $25,000 to start their business.At the Ministry of Labour, the effects of women in the workplace is very much evident – almost 65% of the staff there are women. Many of them are inspectors and labour officers.With a hostile labour culture, especially in the hinterland mining areas, the challenges to some of these officers, who are sometimes alone, are tremendous. The Ministry may have to rethink sending its female offices there, Nadir conceded.Meanwhile,Cheap Arizona Cardinals Jerseys, according to Guyana’s Commissioner of Women and Gender Equality Commission, Indra Chandarpal, Monday’s workshop is intended to further strengthen the capacity of member states in gender mainstreaming policies and programmes of the Labour Ministries to achieve decent work.While there has been work done in a Beijing conference to advance gender mainstreaming, it has been acknowledged that there is still much work to be done.One of the major challenges is the clear lack of will by some governments to take action. In Guyana, there have been many positive experiences. The workshop should be able to identify weak areas in sore need of help, Chandarpal said.Also speaking at the workshop’s launching were OAS Employment Specialist,Cheap NHL Jerseys, Maria Camacho, and Maria Conte, Specialist of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM).Conte lauded the Government of Canada for its support in making the workshop possible.She reminded the gathering that the OAS General Assembly had agreed to integrate a gender perspective in their policies, strategies and projects, as a means of ensuring full participation of men and women in all spheres of life.In the area of labour, the adopted Inter-American Program has called upon governments to ensure women’s equal access to employment and productive resources, including credit and land; promote policies designed to ensure equal pay for work of equal value by women and men and encourage recognition for the economic value of women’s non-remunerated labour. |
