Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2009, published 99th ILC session (2010)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Barbados (Ratification: 1976)

Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report received in February 2009. The Government indicates that its active policy designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment is declared through the Protocols formulated by the social partner, and through the speeches of the Prime Minister of Barbados and other ministers and government officials. The Government has reduced the level of the corporation taxes with the aim of reducing the cost of doing business. Furthermore, the Central Bank of Barbados reduced the prime rate for commercial banks by 0.25 percentage points to 4 per cent in October 2008 in order to encourage borrowing for investment purposes with the goal of driving economic growth. The Government indicates that its trade and industrial policies seek to create increased employment throughout the economy. The Committee notes that, in the second quarter of 2008, the unemployment rate rose to 8.6 per cent of the labour force. As the 2008 Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) indicates, this slight increase of the unemployment rate over the same period of 2007 is still lower than it was in previous years (the participation rate was 68.7 per cent of the total adult population). The Committee further recalls the comments provided by the Barbados Workers’ Union in June 2008, in which it indicated that the union continues to support policy interventions on behalf of micro-enterprises and the self-employed, aimed at promoting increased access to credit facilities and market information, formal education and training and, generally, the provision of decent work in the informal economy.

The Government also indicates that the policies are kept under review through individual monitoring by ministries, agencies and departments, under whose responsibility the implementation of such policies fall. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Empowerment, Innovation, Trade, Industry and Commerce, through the Economic Affairs Division, has a monitoring process where the status of proposed policies are captured under a matrix format indicating the status of implementation of the financial and economic policies. Information on the status is transmitted to the Director of Finance and Economic Affairs and the Minister. The Committee asks the Government to provide further information on the measures implemented as part of an active policy intended to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment, and the results thereof. The Government is also asked to provide further information on the manner in which economic objectives are taken into account in the adoption and review of measures under monetary, budgetary and taxation policy, and price, income and wage policy.

The Government indicates that Manpower Research and the Statistical Unit of the Ministry of Labour and Immigration conduct research and surveys in order to gather information about labour supply and demand. The Government also indicates that the Disabilities Unit and the Bureau of Gender Affairs seek to meet the needs of particular categories of workers such as women, young people, older workers and workers with disabilities. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the impact of the measures implemented to meet the needs of vulnerable categories of workers such as women, young people, older workers and workers with disabilities.

Education and vocational training. The Committee notes that the Barbados Training Board conducts vocational training through its skills training programmes. The Government also indicates that the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council was established to disburse funds to training institutions to enable them to provide industry-specific training. The Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council is mandated, amongst other things, to ensure the standardization of training. The Committee would appreciate receiving information on the impact such measures have had on improving coordination between education and training policies and prospective employment opportunities.

Participation of social partners. The Committee notes that national consultations on the economy are held on a yearly basis. The Committee reiterates its request to the Government to provide information in its next report on the manner in which consultations on the matters covered by the Convention are ensured, including any examples of the questions addressed or the decisions reached on employment policy through tripartite boards and committees that exist in the country. The Government is also requested to provide information on whether consultations are carried out with representatives of the rural workers and the informal economy, as requested in the report form under Article 3 of the Convention.