By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

PROPOSED legislative changes to modernise labour laws were put before stakeholders yesterday for feedback - with topics including paternity leave, mental illness and trade unions.

Cherrylee Pinder, CEO of CP Training and Consulting Services, said the recommendations were also submitted by stakeholders, including trade unions, Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers’ Confederation (BCCEC), the Disabilities Commission and others. There is still a chance for further feedback until June 15. 

Ms Pinder said the legal team and drafter will ensure the recommendations do not contradict or will work in tandem with other legislation. 

Labour and Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle expressed her “excitement” regarding this next step in labour reform, noting that often proposals made are “met with a lot of cynicism”. 

“This meeting today represents a critical step towards validating the proposed amendments to the Employment Act and the Industrial Relations Act,” Ms Glover-Rolle said. “And we’re here to ensure that we not only move forward for national consultation and we’ll talk more about what the next step is after today, but ensuring that when we go to this national consultation, we understand that this is a product that we are taking to the wider public that is based on collective expertise and a shared vision. This isn’t the government moving forward on something. This isn’t the unions. This isn’t the employee confederations. This is the tripartite, and this is the solidarity and the collaborative effort that has provided us with the process and the product that we will now take for national consultation after today.

 “Today, we advance this work by reviewing and discussing the feedback on the proposed changes to the Employment Act and Industrial Relations Act, as we build our momentum to transform the local labour landscape. Our objective remains clear, to build a modern, responsive and fair labour framework that protects workers rights, promotes productivity, expands opportunity and promotes decent work for. All these principles are what we should use to guide us in every step of the process today, and when we’re done with this critical step, our work will be put forward for nationwide consultation, ensuring transparency, inclusivity and democratic participation in shaping our labour future. At the end of this process, we will have incorporated the feedback of every major stakeholder group and every interested and concerned Bahamian who wants to see a sustainable and progressive future for labour in our nation. In doing so, we will ensure that these transformative reforms, built on broad consensus will stand the test of time and continue to produce positive results for many years to come.”