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Monday, October 9, 2006 – Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Honourable
Kenny D. Anthony has called on employers to embrace the proposed Labour Code for
Saint Lucia as one more vehicle designed to move the country along its path to
modernisation. He stated that there is no room in a modern Saint Lucia for laws
which are out of sync with modern society, its norms and values. Dr. Anthony
said the code is not a revolutionary document but a collection of existing and
new laws and the final document must spring from a shared consensus among
employees , Government and the Private sector.
Addressing the forty-fifth annual general meeting of the Saint Lucia Employer
Federation, at the Sandals Grande Monday 9th October, the Prime Minister said
the Labour Code is coming on the heels of several government initiatives
designed to strengthen relations between the private sector and Government.
These include the programmes of the Office of Private Sector Relations (OPSR)
and the support granted to the expansion of the tourism sector.
Dr Anthony said the Labour Code will address rights and obligations of all
parties in the workplace in a manner which ensures, certainty, a vital factor
for a stable business climate.
The Prime Minister added that in spite of its thrust towards modernisation,
Saint Lucia lags behind in some areas of labour Laws.
In his address, the Prime Minister pointed to four major challenges for Saint
Lucia today. These are the changing nature of the country's workforce, the
management of the labour force related to the obligation of the CSME, low levels
of productivity, particularly in the public sector and the ageing labour
infrastructure.
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