The meeting was organised by the Internationale Arbeidsorganisatie (ILO) as part of so-called South-South cooperation. Under this arrangement, developing countries exchange knowledge and experiences to address shared challenges.
According to the Ministry of Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Arbeid, Suriname was invited by the ILO because of its experience with successive Decent Work Country Programmes and the existing structures for consultations between the government, employers and the trade union movement.
Saint Lucia is currently working on its first national programme for decent work. During the meeting, titled Decent Work by Design: Developing, Owning and Monitoring a Decent Work Country Programme, representatives of the government, employers’ organisations and trade unions received support in developing and implementing this programme.
Surinamese experiences as an example
Suriname is currently implementing its third Decent Work Country Programme, covering the 2023-2026 period. According to the ministry, Suriname was the first country in the Caribbean to sign a third generation of this programme. The country has since requested the ILO to extend the current programme.
During the meeting, the Surinamese delegation explained how the government, the Vereniging Surinaams Bedrijfsleven (VSB) and the trade union federations united in RAVAKSUR cooperate on labour policy, legislation and concrete projects. Practical examples included the strengthening of agricultural cooperatives and the operational Fonds Voorzieningen Ouderschapsverlof.
Particular attention was given to Suriname’s tripartite consultation model. Within this system, the government, employers and workers are represented in various advisory and executive bodies involved in labour issues.
Also contribution to social dialogue in Haiti
In addition to supporting Saint Lucia, the Surinamese delegation contributed to developing a roadmap for social dialogue in Haiti. The initiative is intended to contribute to structured consultations between the Haitian government, employers and trade unions. The aim is to lay a foundation for better labour relations and socio-economic stability through cooperation.
Surinamese experiences with tripartite consultations were used as an example for the further development of the consultation process.
Surinamese experts involved
Suriname was represented at the meeting by Glenn Piroe, chairman of the Nationale Decent Work Commissie, and Claudette Etnel, representative of the trade union movement and a member of the same commission. Both were invited by the ILO as expert participants. Other members of the commission followed several sessions remotely. The meeting concluded with a roadmap for Saint Lucia to further develop and ultimately sign its first Decent Work Country Programme. A separate roadmap was also drawn up to strengthen social dialogue in Haiti.
The ILO will provide technical support for the further development of both processes. According to the ministry, the experiences and contacts gained will also be used to further develop Surinamese policy on decent work and support its implementation.
