OVER THE NEXT WEEK, the Ministry of Labour plans to work with employers and employees in the hospitality
sector and with

relevant Government representatives to discuss "decent" work conditions.

Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office with special responsibility for Labour Relations,
Arni Walters, made
the statement Friday
at the opening of Healthy People Equals Healthy Business Seminar
which was hosted
by Wellness Max Inc.
at Hilton Barbados.

He said this was
to ensure that an employee had "quality employment, latitude
to exercise his or her
right to the freedom
of association, and
to engage in meaningful dialogue with his principals and colleagues in the workplace".

"An employee who does not have access to, or is denied decent work, could not fully be healthy, productive and well motivated," he said.

The workplace, he added, was a primary location for implementing wellness strategies, particularly as employees spent an increasing amount of time at work.

Walters suggested that the work environment would have to undergo serious changes once the new health and safety legislation was enacted.

"In the case of the new legal framework, this would be easily facilitated through functioning safety and health committees.

"We should consider that wellness is not just about achieving the ultimate in the state
of the body and the mind through physical means," he added.
(TM)