Labour and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Officers are to be trained in foreign languages to ensure effective communication within the workforce, Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton said.
The Minister, in an interview with the Department of Public Information, following a two-day visit to the Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven) last week said the training will be done in Mandarin, Portuguese and Spanish.
He said foreign language training is important due to the expected large influx of migrants whose first language may not be English.
“Whether it be employers or employees, at the level of the Labour Department and OSH, we have to be prepared to interact and engage them,” Minister Hamilton said. He disclosed that 24 employees at the Ministry of Labour are currently learning Portuguese while noting that the language training will ensure there is proper supervision of labour relations and workplace interventions.
“In some of the mining districts, you have foreigners there – Brazilians and Venezuelans – and therefore, the Officers must be able to communicate with them to ensure labour and OSH laws are not breached,” Hamilton said.
The Minister added that his Ministry will collaborate with the University of Guyana (UG) which offers free Mandarin classes.
Further, he said the Ministry is taking steps to ensure every region is equipped with at least two Labour and OSH officers, who can benefit from continuous foreign language training.
