The National Assembly of Suriname has given the green light to the Violence and Sexual Harassment Labour and Equal Treatment Labour Acts that will protect workers against subtle behaviors that cannot yet be identified as violence or sexual violence.
But Labour, Employment and Youth Affairs Minister, Steven Mac Andrew, acknowledged that the laws will only apply to workers in the private sector.
He told legislators Thursday that an agreement had been reached with the Ministry of the Interior (Biza) to enact legislation specifically for the public sector 12 months after the adoption of the new laws.
“This option was chosen because we are dealing with two separate legal regimes, namely the public sector which falls under public law and the private sector under private law. In a legislative product such as this it is impossible to give substance to declaring the law applicable to both legal systems,” Mac Andrew said.
But opposition legislator, Rabin Parmessar, who heads the main opposition National Democratic Party (NDP) in the National Assembly, said Biza should also work diligently and that the government have come up with the public sector bill at the same time.
“The many complaints at the various ministries are obvious,” Parmessar, added.
But the Interior Minister, Bronto Somohardjo said if there are any cases, they should be handled and resolved with due care, reiterating that cases are to be regulated differently by the law.
He said it will require at least a year to table new legislation linked to the amendments to the Personnel Act.
Mac Andrew said the employee’s participation in the composition of the Complaints Committee is intended to ensure that the committee enjoys the full confidence of all parties involved.
The authorities said going to court is always open if anyone disagrees with the decision of a Complaints Committee or the Labor Inspectorate, which the Ministry is in the process of strengthening, elevating it to the status of an Authority.
Mac Andrew said, regarding confidential advisers, the ministry does not support the position that the persons chosen should be by the persons making the complaints.
“Confidential advisers are persons who are appointed more or less permanently and generally for a longer period of time as contact persons and who provide assistance in cases of violence, intimidation, and sexual harassment.
“They will also be trained accordingly. It may be that a right is created for an injured employee, so that they can additionally be assisted by someone they trust,” said Mac Andrew.
He told the National Assembly that an examination of 70 registered collective agreements showed that companies did not include explicit provisions on violence in the workplace.
He said most collective labour agreements also have no reference to sexual harassment.
CMC/
