The Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector, commonly referred to as the Ministry of Labour, is a government ministry responsible for policy formulation, industrial relations, acting as a secretariat to the Social Partnership, and the other overall administration and coordination of all operations falling under the Minister of Labour’s portfolio. The current Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector is Dr. Karen Best. The Honourable Colin E. Jordan was appointed Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations on May 27, 2018 and subsequently reappointed as Minister responsible for labour in the new Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector.

Organization and Management

The Permanent Secretary

Dr. Karen Best currently serves the people of Barbados as Permanent Secretary. Mrs. Yolande Howard previously served from August 2016 to January 2019 before reassignment and then Mr. Alyson Forte until December 2019. A Permanent Secretary is essentially the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

of a ministry, reporting to the

Cabinet of Barbados The Cabinet are individuals of Barbados which execute the duties of the Government of Barbados. Under a Parliamentary republic , these powers are vested nominally by the President of Barbados, but are exercised in practice by a Cabinet of Minis ...

. The Permanent Secretary or P.S is the most senior civil servant in government and is not politically appointed. He or she is responsible for managing the ministry tasked with implementing the Cabinet's policies as it relates to what falls under the Minister's portfolio. In the case of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

, the P.S as well as other civil servants are appointed through a government agency known as Personnel Administration Division. Thus, Permanent Secretaries cannot be hired or terminated by their Ministers or the

Prime Minister of Barbados The prime minister of Barbados is the head of government of Barbados. The prime minister is appointed by the president under the terms of the Constitution. As the nominal holder of executive authority, the president holds responsibility for co ...

. The Permanent Secretary is the accounting officer of the Ministry. Assisting the Permanent Secretary is a Deputy Permanent Secretary and

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

Planning and Administration

General Management

The Ministry of Labour and Social Partnership Relations is managed by a Permanent Secretary, Deputy Permanent Secretary and other senior staff that ensure the formulation and implementation of policies under the Minister's portfolio. The Ministry is the main facilitator of relations between the

Government of Barbados The Government of Barbados (GoB), is a unitary parliamentary republic, where the President of Barbados represents as the head of state and the Prime Minister of Barbados represents as the head of government. Structure The country has a bicam ...

and international organizations such as the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

. The ministry is also responsible for facilitating relationship with workers unions in Barbados and working with foreign governments to aid in the a

Manpower Research and Statistical Unit

The Manpower Research and Statistical Unit is the intelligence gathering and research unit of the Ministry of Labour . The Unit is responsible for ensuring labour market information is provided to the people of Barbados in a timely manner. This Unit is managed by a Chief Research Officer. This Unit relays information to the public through the Barbados Labour Market Information System. This system has many functions, one of which is outreach in the form of lectures and presentations.

Labour Department

The Labour Department is responsible for the technical areas of the Ministry of Labour. The Department is run by a Chief Labour Officer who is responsible for ensuring the mandate of the Department is carried out. The Department's functions are carried out by three sub-divisions. These sub-divisions are Industrial Relations, Occupational Safety and Health and the National Employment Bureau. On May 24, 2017, it was announced by Permanent Secretary Yolande Howard that the National Employment Bureau would be re-branding and the first step of this would be to re-name the Bureau the Barbados Employment and Career Counselling Service (BECCS) department. This re-branding of the Bureau is expected to increase effectiveness and efficiency. “All in all the restructuring and institutional strengthening of the National Employment Bureau will ensure that the new public employment service, BECCS, is better able to fulfill its mandate”, said the Permanent Secretary.

Budget

The figures below are reflective of the 2016 - 2017 Budget Estimates.

References

External links

* https://labour.gov.bb/about-us * http://caribbeanelections.com/eDocs/budget/bb_budget/bb_draft_estimates_2016_2017.pdf * https://labour.gov.bb * https://www.barbadostoday.bb/2017/05/25/neb-no-more/ {{authority control Government ministries of Barbados

Labour in Barbados