Labour Ministry to engage iTel on severance package for workers being laid off

With the iTel company announcing its plans to completely shut down its Guyana operations in November, the Labour Ministry has started to engage the company to ensure the more than 400 workers to be laid off are treated correctly and in cases where severance packages have to be offered, those packages are offered.

Labour Minister, Joe Hamilton on Thursday said other meetings are expected with company officials.

“The local management has indicated that, one, there is discussion and conversation about severing, the number at this moment is not a definitive number. Secondly, the principles of the company will reach out to the ministry soonest. They would be in a better position to advise us about what their plans are. They have been advised and instructed by the Ministry of Labour about the necessary procedures they would have to follow,” Minister Hamilton stated.

The company is still to formally inform the Chief Labour Officer about its closure plans and the severance of the workers. He said the company will have to make available a list of all the persons who are to be severed available to the Ministry along with the remuneration package.

“All is not lost…We have the Central recruitment and Manpower Agency that could be of assistance to persons who might have an interest. We have our job bank, where persons can put up their credentials and seek employment. We have about 300 companies that are registered at the job bank. There is a lot of options that people can explore,” the Labour Minister said in his statement released by DPI.

Three days ago the customer call centre company announced its closure plans to its staff.

The company explained that it was forced to make the decision after extensive analysis and discussion among its leadership team.More than four hundred workers will lose their jobs as a result of the closure of the Guyana operations.

The company’s management said despite the many investments that it has made over the years, the Guyana operations is no longer sustainable.

While describing Guyana as a “gem”, the company said it has faced ongoing challenges despite the country’s continued economic growth. It was further explained that as Guyana’s economy expands, the cost of doing business in Guyana is rising, and it has become more difficult to find and retain qualified candidates.