On Thursday 21st April, 2022, the Labour Department, which falls under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation and Labour (MoA), hosted the virtual presentation of the Labour Market Analysis Training Manual.
The Labour Market Analysis Training Manual (LMATM) emerged out of a concerted venture to enhance technical capacities and underlying competencies of both prospective and existing labour market analysts across the various sectoral spaces of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).
Commissioned by the Department of Labour alongside its strategic partners and other stakeholders intimately connected to labour market planning and policy making, this LMATM represents the most comprehensive training guide and tool to be used for trainers and trainees in different types of training environments.
The presentation was conducted by lead consultant Mr. Dwayne Devonish of the University of West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. On May 16th -20th, 2022, Mr. Devonish would lead a series of training sessions with key stakeholders as part of the Labour Market Analysis and Training Consultancy.
This is a capacity building component of SVG Human Development Service Delivery (HDSD) Project which was implemented by the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines with the support of the International Development Association (The World Bank).
On the Thursday 7th April, 2022, the 6th Meeting of Senior Officials with Responsibility for the Regional Labour Market Information System was held to review the conceptual design of the updated Labour Market Information System (LMIS).
Established in 2017, the Regional Labour Market Information System (RLMIS) is geared towards the proper management of the regime for the free movement of skilled labour, as enshrined in Article 46 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. This initiative is a collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill) and covers fourteen (14) Member states, of which St. Vincent and the Grenadines is included. Each Member State has a critical role to play in the implementation of the Regional LMIS, in particular the National Statistical Offices; the Ministry with the responsibility for Labour; and the National Insurance Agency.
The regional LMIS entails systematic collection of labour market data which would provide for evidence-based decision-making as it relates to national and regional policies in areas such as job creation and job security. These policies would help to address critical problems such as long-term unemployment and youth unemployment. Additionally, the implementation of such policies would lead to an improved labour market efficiency across CARICOM Member States and strengthen the Region's competitiveness. Each LMIS is built on a .Stat platform that would create an ease of use for all users; from data managers and providers to job seekers.
The principal labour marketing data-producing agencies of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are the Department of Labour (DoL) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour, the Statistical Office (SO), and the National Insurance Services (NIS)
On the 30th August 2021, the heads of these agencies signed an Addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Labour Market Information System (SVG-LMIS), in which they gave their firm commitment, to produce and disseminate labour market data and to collaborate to provide labour market analysis reports on a regular basis.
The Regional LMIS indicators for each agency are the following;
Statistical Office (SO): Labour Force Statistics & General Labour Market Statistics.
National Insurance Services (NIS): Occupational Health Statistics & Social Security Statistics.
Department of Labour (DOL): Public Employment Agency Statistics, Legal Framework & Non-national Worker and Overseas Placement Statistics
February 11, 2022
On Friday 4th February, 2022, the Labour Department, of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation and Labour (MoA), hosted a workshop to facilitate the finalisation of the recently revised and updated Protection of Employment Act which include provisions for pandemics and natural disasters.
Under SVG Human Development Service Delivery (HDSD) Project which was implemented by the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines with the support of the International Development Association (The World Bank), the consultancy was awarded and presented by Barbadian, Mr. Rommel St. Hill, an International Legal Specialist.
Present at the workshop were Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation and Labour, Mrs. Nerissa Gittens, the featured speaker; Mr. Burns Bonadie, representatives from various trade unions, employment associations and the Department of Labour.
Mr. St. Hill is expected to present a final draft of the updated Protection of Employment Act to submit to the relevant authorities for approval and adaptation, based on the feedback provided by during validation workshop.
January 24, 2022
On Tuesday 18th January 2022, the Labour Department, which falls under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation and Labour (MoA), hosted a virtual stakeholder’s validation workshop to facilitate the revision and updating of the Labour Relations Bill (LRB) of St. Vincent and the Grenadines 2001.
Its review and adoption was financed the SVG Human Development Service Delivery (HDSD) Project which was implemented by the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines with the support of the International Development Association ( The World Bank).
The Labour Relations Bill (LRB) serves to provide legislative effect to the provisions of the Constitution Order of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the Protection of Freedom of Assembly and Association, the ILO’s Convention on Freedom of Association, No.87 (1948), and Convention on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining, No.98 (1949). It establishes the procedures for the registration and status of trade unions; promotes and protects the recognition of trade unions and employment associations and encourages orderly and effective collective bargaining
Ms. Thea Alexander, the assigned consultant to this review, presented the draft with the changes and updates made to the previous bill under the recommendations submitted by the ILO and findings made during her consultancy.
Also present at the workshop, was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation and Labour, Mrs. Nerissa Gittens, former ILO Labour Relations and Policy Consultant, the Hon. Rene Baptiste CMG, representatives from various trade unions, employment associations and the Department of Labour.
Ms. Alexander is expected to present a final draft of the revised and updated Labour Relations Bill based on the feedback provided by the stakeholder’s validation workshop.
- Mandatory vaccination has not been prescribed in our Domestic Laws so can an employer implement a mandatory vaccination policy in his/her establishment?
- If an employer institutes a mandatory vaccination policy in his/her establishment and an Employee refuses to get the vaccine, can the employer Terminate the employee's service without paying severance?
- If an employee is terminated as in the case Of Question 2 is this discrimination and if so, what course of action(S), can someone take to contest discrimination?