Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 28, 2018 (SKNIS): Senior Minister and Minister of Labour, the Honourable Vance Amory, has reported that he is satisfied that government has adequately addressed issues at the Department of Labour to ensure the safety and good health of workers.
The latest update came on Wednesday, March 28, during National Assembly when Minister Amory spoke about the relocation of the Department of Labour under his watch as the minister responsible, noting that staff members are now in an environment where they can effectively execute their duties.
He stated that he was given the opportunity to visit the new location, interact with staff members and see how they are settling in.
“Mr. Speaker, I visited with them on two occasions… just to make sure that there have not been any change of the conditions and that there was no one who was expressing any dissatisfaction. I visited yesterday [March 27] and I had a talk briefly with every member of staff who was there and all expressed their satisfaction with the conditions at work,” said the labour minister.
“Mr. Speaker, I can report today… that you can be pleased that the Ministry of Labour and the Team Unity Government may have finally solved the problem which has existed before the administration took office,” said Senior Minister Amory. “I think we have shown a concerted and deliberate effort to remedy the situation for the staff and I feel that we have now come to the point where the staff members appear to be satisfied with the accommodation, which they now operate on Victoria Road.”
Senior Minister Amory reiterated that he will do all in his power to ensure that the department is able to carry out its functions in an effective and efficient manner.
“Mr. Speaker, you will be pleased to note also that I have instructed the labour commissioner and other senior staff to ensure that every effort is made to maintain the air quality and other conditions to the standard which is conducive to the health and safety of the staff to prevent any future claims of health challenges for them, either individually or collectively,” said the minister.
“Mr. Speaker, it has always been my intention to get this done and that is why all of the effort was made to relocate from one place to the other… because we certainly wanted to be active in solving the problems of the conditions under which the staff was working,” he added.
Minister Amory reiterated that the government has done everything possible to ensure that the Department of Labour are in an environment “which would allow to carry out their duties in the most efficient and professional way possible”. He further reported that the Ministry of Labour through the Department of Labour “continues to carry out its functions to ensure that every employee in St. Kitts and Nevis is treated fairly and in accordance with the law that governs labour relations” in the federation.
