Enforcement and awareness of labor legislation

The on-site visit of officers from Barbados to Panama took place within the 12th RIAL Call for Bilateral Cooperation, on June 25th – 27th, 2019, and had as its objective to review Panama’s methodologies on the scale and nature of inspections, examine the strategies implemented to educate employers, employees and the general public on the services offered by the inspectorate, and review the programs aimed at the youth.
 
During the three days of cooperation, the officers received first-hand information from Panamanian officers on their services and programs. The agenda included information sessions on the Panamanian inspection system and youth employment programs, as well as field visits to the company Grupo VerdeAzul, which is under construction, where they could receive on site knowledge on the Panamanian security regulations and the role of inspection; to the company “Mirador”, also under construction, and the CONEP Offices, Panama’s council of employers, among others.
 
These sessions resulted in the learning of good practices such as the telephone line for labor complaints, the geographical census to assure that all the country is covered by the inspectorate, the follow-up visits undertaken by MITRADEL, and the technological platforms for inspectors to upload information in real time (SUITE).
 
The “Next Steps” outlined by the delegation of Barbados on their Final Report include assigning case numbers to the complaints to improve follow-up, the design of censuses that are similar to the ones implemented by Panama, and the strengthening of their youth employment strategies.