Minister of Labour and the Public Service the Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle said the Ministry of Labour and the Public Service, has an ambitious agenda to position the Ministry as the leader for all things related to labour and Human Resources in the country. 

“Our main goal is to empower our workers to do their best work. And that comes through decent pay, through treating workers with respect and dignity, through attending to the longstanding issues that impact morale and productivity, through providing employees with the resources they need to succeed, and through promoting a positive, safe workplace culture.”

The Labour Minister was speaking at the National Tripartite Council (NTC) Annual General Assembly being held under the theme, 'Decent Work-Shaping the Culture of the Nation’s Workforce', at the National Training Agency on Thursday, March 14, 2024.

The theme sums up the work of the Executive Team of the Council 2021 – 2024, as it continues to explore the concept of Labour’s past role and history in advancing and shaping a modern Bahamas; and its current role in the continued work to enhance labour force development and enterprise sustainability through a Decent Work Country Program.

The Minister explained that just a few weeks ago, the Director of the International Labour Organization’s Decent Work Team and Caribbean Office, Dr. Joni Musabayana, and his team made a courtesy call at the Ministry.

“During our meetings, we confirmed that we have remained largely on track with the implementation of our plans, as we move forward with the Decent Work Country Programme, and consider emerging issues like take action to bring about a Just Transition, and developing an effective M&E framework to ensure that the work we do is aligned with our international obligations and our national development goals.”

The Minister also noted that she recently tabled the Apprenticeship Bill (2024) in the House of Assembly, which is expected to be debated and passed in the very near future.

She said the progress has been driven by the work of NTC chair Sharon Martin and the rest of the NTC’s team.

The Minister also explained that the Department of Labour recently unveiled its 10 Point Plan for Labour Transformation, which intersects with many of the objectives of the NTC.

“This plan includes the implementation of the Decent Work Country Programme and National Apprenticeship Programme, and also includes the expansion of our Labour Skills Database to support these initiatives.”

She said, “It includes the modernisation of relevant labour laws; the integration of training providers and resources throughout the country; and the upskilling of Department of Labour team members, among other high priority items.”

The Minister added, “Thanks to our efforts, decent work will soon be a widely known and used term in The Bahamas.”