Minister of Labour and the Public Service
STATEMENT: The Ministry of Labour and the Public Service is aware of inaccurate comments made by the Leader of the Opposition regarding progress on the registration of industrial agreements for the public service. In the interest of transparency, we would like to inform the public of progress on all such labour agreements signed up to the end of December, 2023.
Of the 23 total agreements, 12 have already been signed and registered. An additional seven have already been reviewed and vetted with recommendations made for any adjustments to be made in preparation for registration. In total, this means that 19 of the 23 agreements have either been finalised and registered or are in the final stages of the registration process with progress being made on the remaining four agreements.
As the public may recall, the Ministry was able to sign 23 labour agreements in 23 months after years of stalled negotiations. We remain committed to following through on all signed agreements as we establish and maintain positive labour relations with local labour unions. The public can be assured that we are working as swiftly as possible to finalise the registration of the remaining unregistered agreements.
Any suggestion that “very few” of the agreements have been registered or that there have been significant issues with the registration of industrial agreements is inaccurate. Such unfounded statements represent the kind of misinformation and rumormongering that stirs up unnecessary unrest and attempts to undermine the valuable progress made by the Davis administration toward improved labour relations.
As always, the Ministry of Labour and the Public Service remains committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability in performing its duties as the labour and human resources leader
of the nation. Any member of the public interested in the details related to the registration of industrial agreements or any other relevant information is encouraged to contact the Ministry of Labour and the Public Service via official channels.
Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle
Minister of Labour and the Public Service
