Minister Hayward Attends ILO Meeting

May 29, 2023 | 5 Comments

Minister of Economy and Labour Jason Hayward attended the 12th ILO Meeting of Caribbean Ministers of Labour in Guyana ahead of the 111th International Labour Conference in Geneva next month.

A Government spokesperson said, “Held from May 23 – 25, the meeting of Ministers, which includes the participation of Ministers of Labour and senior officials from thirteen ILO member States and nine non-metropolitan territories in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean as well as representatives from regional worker’s organizations and employer’s organizations, was last held in 2019.

“The meeting aligns with the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, released in September 2021, and the CARICOM Heads of Government’s call for a “whole of government and society approach to recovery and resilience”, made in July 2022 and intended to address global, regional, and national actions required to accelerate the mainstreaming of social justice for transformative socioeconomic development in the current multi-crisis context.

“With a theme of Social Justice – The Foundation for Sustainable Caribbean Transformation –meeting’s objectives:

  • Provided a forum for Caribbean Labour Ministers and Social Partners to exchange perspectives on the global, regional, and national actions required to accelerate the mainstreaming of social justice for transformative socioeconomic development in the current multi-crisis context;
  • Addressed labour migration as a potential enabler of decent work and acceleration factor in Caribbean development, including the importance of systemic, rights-based, inclusive approaches, to addressing governance challenges in a hyper-mobile region; and
  • Examined Caribbean progress on Just Transition policy and institutional mechanisms and determined priorities for action and ILO technical assistance for the 2024-25 biennium.

At the conference, Minister Hayward “shared with his Caribbean Ministerial colleagues that Social Justice, in this context, refers to the active advancement of the socioeconomic conditions of the population.”

He further advised, “In Bermuda, while the economy is doing relatively well, rebounding from the pandemic and showing many signs of resilience, there is much work to do to improve the socioeconomic conditions of the people of Bermuda.”

Reflecting on the event, Minister Hayward said, “I was able to share with my Caribbean Ministerial colleagues that the Government has embarked on a human-centred strategy to increase social and labour protections, advance labour policy and connect the people of Bermuda with jobs.

“I shared some key advancements made through increasing eligibility and benefits for Financial Assistance programs, creating a short-term hardship benefit, developing a national reemployment strategy and, particularly, a robust youth employment strategy, implementing a minimum hourly wage rate and critical amendments to the Bermuda Labour Code.”

“Overall, the discussions were productive, and it was my pleasure to represent Bermuda at this significant meeting to share the work that the Ministry of Economy and Labour is doing to ensure access to opportunities, progress and a better quality of life for the people of Bermuda, through human-centred policy development.”

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Comments (5)

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  1. Triangle Drifter says:

    Off he goes, with an oversized entourage, on another taxpayer funded junket.

    Ain’t life grand being a PLP Minister.

    • Ringmaster says:

      From the reports it would appear it was more of the same talk, more talk and BS. Another few months gone by and still nothing to show for the additional 9,000 new residents he has said are needed.

  2. puzzled says:

    Wow!!!

  3. comfortably numb says:

    Surprised Minister Wayward didn’t brag about our inflation rate of 2.8% – the lowest in the world.

  4. LOL - the real one says:

    Geneva in June! What a wonderful place to visit. The Flower Clock, the Jet d’Eau, boating on Lake Geneva, thousands of well-dressed UN bureaucrats milling around trying to sound and look important. Political double-speak at its best. Many foreign spies looking to land a big fish. Rolex and other high-end brand shopping. Great memories.

    Minister Hayward and your entourage, please do visit Mr. Pickwick, the oldest pub in Switzerland inaugurated in 1969. Always a good time.

    June 5-16: 111th Session of the International Labour Conference

    June 8: Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam / Fête-Dieu; closures in most areas)

    June 16–18: National Yodel Festival (Eidgenössisches Jodlerfest), Zug

    June 21: Fête de la Musique, Lausanne (wide range of music performances in streets and squares)

    June 23–25: Fête de la Musique, Geneva (wide range of music performances in streets and squares)

    Late June–late August: Tellspiele, Interlaken (William Tell performances in open-air theater, mostly on Saturdays and Thursdays)

    June 29: Sts. Peter and Paul’s Day (closures in Graubünden and Ticino)

    >>> June 30–July 15: Montreux Jazz Festival <<<

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