C4C backbencher takes first official overseas trip

(CNS): Coalition for Cayman government back-bencher, Winston Connolly, who has been appointed as a councillor in the education and employment ministry, took his first official overseas trip recently when he accompanied Director of Labour and Pensions Mario Ebanks to a conference in Trinidad. Ebanks and Connolly attended the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 8th Meeting of Caribbean Ministers of Labour.  The meeting focused on the theme "The Caribbean and Labour, 2013 and Beyond: Strengthening Decent Work for Development", which officials said was paid for by the organization and not the Cayman public purse. In a release from the department, Ebanks said he and Connolly were able to network and share ideas and concerns.

“One important fact reinforced at the meeting is that while we are all different territories in the Caribbean, our issues and challenges are very similar,” he said. “I was particularly pleased that the meeting, and the final communiqué, also began to look at the impact of social issues on the workplace, and the importance of focusing on productivity, resilience, and competitiveness within the Caribbean workforce and industry. It is important for the Cayman Islands to maintain a prudent presence at such regional and international meetings and conferences, while recognizing the budgetary pressures and time constraints.”

Nineteen of the 22 ILO Caribbean Member States and non-metropolitan territories were represented at the meeting, the largest turnout ever for the conference. The Cayman Islands is considered a non-metropolitan territory as it is a United Kingdom overseas territory.

“Meeting and collaborating with our neighboring countries on the topic of labour was extremely useful,” Connolly said. “It helped us get a better sense of what other countries in the region are facing and how they are overcoming issues in their labour market. It was also very important to meet with our Caribbean counterparts and extend the hand of collaboration. I look forward to interacting further with them and the ILO.”

According to the release, the meeting focused on a range of topics, including the development of Decent Work Country Programmes, ratification of ILO Conventions on Occupational Safety and Health, employment policy and the maritime sector, the execution of a number of capacity building initiatives targeted at government officials and social partners, and the establishment of a Caribbean Labour Market Information System and its deployment in various countries.