Guyana gov’t defends foreign worker policy

THE GUYANA government says it remains open to the recruitment of specialised skills from any part of the globe, for both the public and private sectors, which do not currently exist in the country.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said it had become aware of the circulation of a letter on the recruitment of healthcare workers.

The letter addressed to Sigma Engineers Limited, dated February 5, is being circulated in the media. It makes reference to the recruitment of Bangladeshi healthcare workers.

“The ministry, in response to a request from Sigma Engineers Limited, issued the letter to confirm that the agency was authorised to recruit healthcare workers, with the view to addressing concerns raised both by the public and private sectors on the severe skills shortage in the health sector.”

The ministry said that the Private Sector Commission has on numerous occasions requested the government’s assistance in addressing the need to fill the skills shortages not only in the health sector, but also in the critical sectors of construction, engineering, and services, given the expansion and growth of Guyana’s economy.

“In this regard, the recruitment agency was appointed to liaise with relevant authorities from various countries to recruit healthcare workers, including but not limited to Bangladesh. It is within this context that the authorisation letter was issued by the ministry to prevent issues such as human trafficking or any abuse of this process.

“The ministry wishes to confirm that to date, no one has been recruited through Sigma Engineers Ltd, as shortages are currently being filled by personnel from Cuba,” the statement said, while noting that the government “remains open to the recruitment of specialised skills which do not currently exist in Guyana from any part of the globe, for both the public and private sectors”.