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.