5 days ago
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The Ministry of Labour is taking steps toward modernizing Belize’s labour laws through a workshop aimed at reviewing and revising the country’s Labour Act, which officials say has become outdated and no longer fully reflects the realities of today’s workforce. The workshop brought together labour officials, stakeholders, and a labour consultant to examine areas within the existing legislation that may require updating in order to better address modern workplace challenges, employer-employee relations, and evolving labour standards. Chief Executive Officer in the ministry, Tanya Santos, says the current Labour Act is considered archaic in several areas and emphasized the importance of strengthening labour laws and regulations to ensure workers are adequately protected while also creating a fair and balanced framework for employers.
Tanya Santos Neal ,CEO, Ministry of Immigration: “The Labor Department is having a consultation on the review of the Labor Act. That’s a very old act that hasn’t been changed in many years. Now we have a consultant or a consulting firm that is leading that process for us. And today we have representatives from the various sectors, from the unions, from employers, from government who are present to discuss what they believe would need to be in the labor, the new labor act. Things need to change when it comes to the legislation and certain policies. Even without this process happening we know that there are many sectors and many stakeholders who have openly said what are their concerns and so this offers a formal and an official opportunity for them to sit around a table or around many tables and and offer their suggestions, offer their concerns and a way forward.”
Officials say the review process is expected to focus on improving workplace protections, dispute resolution mechanisms, occupational standards, and adapting labour legislation to accommodate changes in industries such as tourism, retail, and the growing BPO sector.
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