Agencies Achievements & Ongoing Initiatives
regional bodies. To this end we have increased our staff complement in our Family Island sections in Grand Bahama, Abaco, Exuma and Eleuthera and also in New Providence to ensure succession planning, to maintain the quality of our audits, increase the use of information technology and data analytics and engage in ongoing training.
Annex H
The 2016 / 2017 Budget allocation is a continuation of the strategic plan to promote full autonomy and to fulfill the vision of this Office.
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND NATIONAL INSURANCE
Department of Labour
During the 2015 / 2016 fiscal period, the Department has completed the re-branding of its three principal functional units through which services that are provided to the general public, in keeping with international best practices:
• The Conciliation Unit has been re-branded as the Labour Relations Unit( LRU);
• The Employment Exchange has been re-branded as the Public Employment Services Unit( PES);
• The Inspectorate Unit has been re-branded as the Occupational Safety & Health Administration Unit( OSHA).
[ 510 ]
2016 / 2017 DRAFT ESTIMATES OF REVENUE & EXPENDITURE
The Department of Labour continues to implement a deliberate policy of the Government to ensure that vital services are made more accessible to the public. To this end, the Robinson Road Sub-office was opened in December 2013; within the past 12 months, the Carmichael Road Sub-Office was opened. Shortly, the Department’ s Central Office, currently housed in the Clarance A. Bain Building, will relocate to The City Corporate Centre on Rosetta Street. It is anticipated that, in the coming months, the Bernard Road Sub-office, will be opened; and, the establishment of Sub-offices in Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama; and Bailey Town, Bimini are also planned.
The Department of Labour has been actively engaged in consultations with the Inter-American Development Bank and the Ministry of National Security in the finalization of the Citizen Security & Justice Programme. The Department of Labour is the agency that will play a critical role in the facilitation of Component II of the Programme- the Youth Employment Programme- which is designed to provide up to 2,600 unemployed youth with the much needed training to better prepare them for employment. It is anticipated that the National Training Agency, the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institutional, the Department of Labour, and other community based organizations will be utilized to facilitate and monitor this segment of the Programme.
Consumer Affairs
The Consumer Affairs Unit, works in tandem with the Prices Commission and the Consumer Protection Commission, and remains relevant in its mandate of providing maximum protection to consumers throughout The Bahamas, particularly as the public is more aware of and better informed in many aspects that affect their lives as consumers.
The manpower needs of the Consumer Affairs Unit are being addressed, and its staff complement of Price Inspectors will be augmented to build capacity by July, 2016
The Consumer Protection Commission is positioning itself to be an effective mechanism for consumers seeking redress on matters concerning their transactions with merchants, service providers, and businesses, where such transactions have adversely affected their health or general welfare and no mutual or reciprocal agreement could be reached in breach of such transactions. The Commission is expected to employ a transformative methodology in addressing the affairs of consumers and partnering with the general public to restore consumer confidence.