Employment, Immigration and Civil Status Myriam Telemaque led a delegation on a working visit to the Savoy Resort & Spa yesterday.

The objective of the visit was to interact with staff, get to know their views, challenges as well as benefits being offered in their workplace.

Secondly the visit was aimed at ensuring a better understanding of the on ground operations of the workplaces and to see whether they are abiding by employment regulations.

Speaking of the visit, Employment principal secretary Jules Baker said that Savoy being a new hotel of only four years old faces challenges when it comes to staff and human resources management as staff have indicated some deficiencies in the area of communications and a proper management structure for reporting and feedback.

"Savoy is a very nice hotel and the staff are happy to work here but there are HR issues that need to be dealt with in the immediate, medium and long-term as they feel that decisions are being taken without the staff being informed," Mr Baker said.

He explained that this is a common problem in some of the establishments visited and appealed to all workplaces to establish better communication procedures between management, human resources and staff members.

"This will help establish a structure where the employees will feel comfortable to bring forward their difficulties, views, suggestions and recommendations as we have seen in many instances where employees with a lot of work experience do not have the leeway to contribute towards the development of the organisation," Mr Baker said.

Yesterday was Minister Telemaque's third visit for this year which forms part of a series of visits which she started last year after being appointed as minister.

The visits are aimed at establishing better contact between the employment department and the working establishments.

Last year, Minister Telemaque carried out twelve visits to various workplaces across Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and Félicité island such as Casino Liberte, Global Supplies Centre, Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA), Air Seychelles, Ile du Port Handling Services (IPHS), Constance Ephelia Hotel and Resort, Le Domaine de L'Orangeraie and Six Senses-Zil Pasyon Resort Ltd.

Mr Baker added that following such visits, there are follow up visits done by an employment technical team to physically assess what the minister and her delegation have seen and heard and then a written recommendation and deadline to rectify the problems is sent to the organisation.

"The dozen of visits we've undertaken have been very fruitful as we had a structured work plan and a set of recommendations for organisations to follow. So far some have given very good feedback on the recommendations put forward by the department while others are in the process or restructuring. I am 85% happy with the ministerial visits," Mr Baker said.

Members of the ministerial delegation on the visit to Savoy Resort and Spa also included special advisor Veronique Bresson, technical advisor Susan Morel, director general for labour relations Steve Monnaie, director for special employment programme Letimy Dookley and other senior employment officers.

Minister Telemaque identifies active and consistent procedures as an absolute necessity if we want to enhance the implementation of development and localization at organisational levels. This was her firm message during her first visit to a tourism establishment that forms part of the industry, one of the main employments in the country.

The Minister of Employment, Immigration and Civil Status began the year 2018 ministerial visits as she visited the Carana Beach Hotel, along the North Coast Road. The hotel renowned for its luxurious environment retains a higher number of local workers at 63 to non-Seychellois workers at 33 attracting a commendation for the mentioned process put in place to provide ample opportunity for local workers. The hotel also retains a young workforce creating suitable training for young students from professional centres and assisting them develop a career which is in line with the minister's emphasis on the necessity for understudies.

The regular routine of ministerial visits begins with a brief introduction of the ministerial delegation to the administrative staff and the pre-scheduled tour of the premises. This provides the Minister with an opportunity to observe and interact with the workers at their individual work stations. After the tour, the ministerial delegation has a debriefing with the management of the hotel; during this session, the issues raised during the tour are discussed, commendations are made where good practices are observed, best practices are shared and support is provided for the workers and establishments in the form of proposed guidelines and monitoring.

The visit spurred positive feedback in line with the suitable salary scheme, development opportunities and pleasant management, so also did it raise concerns of which some were related to staff meals which the workers felt could be better and a more appropriate means of transportation for the workers that reside far from the hotel. The workers with fixed days off expressed their preference for a rotated off days arrangement. Also the unavailability of rest areas for workers with split shifts presented an inconvenience for the workers while waiting for their next shift to begin and finally the gardeners requested for more suitable and appropriate protective gears.

As a strategy for staff retention, the ministry advised the hotel management to conduct a more frequent tete-a-tete with staff in order to better understand, meet the needs and create job satisfaction among their workers. The ministry also proposed the introduction of a health and safety officer which the hotel is in the process of recruiting as well as more kitchen staff.

After the visit, the Minister expressed appreciation for their hospitality and satisfaction in the working conditions of the hotel.

The Minister of Employment Mrs. Myriam Telemaque reviews the state of affairs of the L'Union Estate on La Digue for a more cooperative and structured working environment.

The estate falls under the country's agricultural industry and it produces a wide range of plants from vegetables to spices as well as livestock. Situated on La Digue, it also presents a tourist attraction for the spacious environment and farm land. The estate employs a number of 82 workers of which 67 are local and 15 are non-Seychellois.

Previously visited on the 2nd of March 2017, the estate had some issues identified prior to that visit of which some were addressed.

The Minister during this visit was accompanied by a delegation on a tour of the estate observing the plant and livestock areas. She discussed with the workers at their work station and visited others at different stations encouraging them to work together and asking pertinent questions in regards to their challenges and opinion of their work. Generally the workers uttered satisfactory comments about the estate and how they enjoyed their jobs though there were crucial concerns raised on a number of topics such as inadequate level of support by management coupled with inequity in treatment of staff and insufficient staff welfare.

The estate employs an encouraging number of long service staff; having worked with the farm for an impressive number of years are that the ministry has pressed should be consolidated.

After the tour of the premises, the Minister held a meeting with the CEO of the estate and the Human Resource Manager during which the concerns raised were discussed emphasising the need for collaborative effort from both the workers and the management. The Human Resource Manager proposed a number of programmes she intends to consider which included a salary structure, team building activities, in-house training and a better staff welfare. This will create provision for a more structured operation, presenting a clearer pathway in the administration, fairness in treatment and a general improvement in job satisfaction.

Bangladesh's Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Nurul Islam, is satisfied with the working environment of the Bangladeshi workers currently employed in Seychelles in various sectors such as construction, tourism and agriculture.

This follows an official visit by the minister during the weekend when he also visited the O'Nivo construction company at Providence and also Bangladeshi workers on a construction site at Ile Perseverance.

Minister Islam was accompanied by the Seychelles' Minister for Employment, Immigration and Civil Status Myriam Telemaque, the principal secretary for employment Jules Baker and other officials of the ministry.

There are around 2,200 Bangladeshi workers currently employed in various sectors from agriculture, tourism and construction in Seychelles and they are working tirelessly to grow the economy of Seychelles and at the same time provide to their families back home.

Speaking to the media after their visit, Minister Islam pointed out that he is satisfied how the Bangladeshi workers are being treated.

"The purpose of my visit is to oversee the working condition of the Bangladeshi workers at O'Nivo Construction company. I am really satisfied with their working environment and salaries. The workers are well treated, and really enjoy working in such a beautiful country. Obviously we will have to monitor their condition so that Seychelles can have more Bangladeshi workers," he said.

Minister Telemaque added that Bangladeshi workers are well treated in the country.

"We are really happy with the condition of the workers, and we will work hard to keep improving their daily stay in our country. The Bangladeshi minister also compared the working condition of the Bangladeshi workers here with other countries and we agreed that expatriate workers should be well treated," said Minister Telemaque.

One of the workers, Hassan Mahamudul, who is employed with O'Nivo Construction company, told the media that he enjoys working in Seychelles.

"Every two years I get a ticket to go back to Bangladesh for free. I am really pleased with my working condition and could not ask for more. I really appreciate that the Bangladeshi minister took the time to visit us," he said.

Owned by Hao Liu, O'Nivo Construction Company employs around 30 workers.

Before the site visit, the Bangladeshi delegation paid a courtesy call on Minister Telemaque at her office at the Independence House Annex, Victoria.

Minister Islam was originally expected in the country of Thursday night and was to hold meetings with Minister Telemaque last Friday, but his programme had to be altered as he had to stay much longer in Mauritius as Air Seychelles had stopped flying there for a short while because cyclone Berguitta left a trail of destruction across the island after battering it with the strength of a hurricane.

85 youths get work skills through training schemes

Eighty-five young people have received their certificates after going through a skills development programme aimed at boosting their chances of securing employment.

The employment training programmes, which consist of both soft skills and on the job training, focus on different areas of employment, notably where there is shortage of labour in the country for example in the tourism industry, construction among others.

Every year three million is spent on the skills development programme to ensure that the participants acquire the necessary soft skills before they are placed in an organisation.

They received their certificates last Thursday during a ceremony at the International Conference Centre Seychelles (ICCS) in the presence of the Minister for Employment, Immigration and Civil Status Myriam Telemaque, the principal secretary (PS) for employment Jules Baker, the PS for youth and sports department Fabian Palmyre, the chief executive of the Agency for National Human Resource Development (ANHRD) Nadia Lauricourt, certificates recipients and parents along with other guests.

In his speech for the occasion, PS Baker said that such training is a learning process and is recognised to be very essential for the growth of the economy as well as increasing employment opportunities for job seekers.

"Youth unemployment remains one of the most challenging policy issues in the world today, because in many countries young people are still finding it difficult to secure a job and find one according to his or her own competencies and interest. The youth of Seychelles is also facing a similar challenge although we have recently observed an improvement regarding this situation. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the youth unemployment was 16.8 per cent in 2014 and in the second quarter of 2017 youth unemployment decreased to 11.8 per cent," he said.

He added that the government of Seychelles provides a lot so that the youths can have a better future.

"The progress made towards the position of the youths on the labour market today is due to various factors. The continued investment of the government of Seychelles in our youths, through various labour market policies and different schemes such as the skills development programme, has played a pivotal role. The participants are also provided with a training allowance, free bus and day care allowance to young mothers on the programme. This is an investment which increases the chances of participants remaining on the programme until the end and obtain the necessary skills and work experience for a future job," he said.

Orely Mothé, a student who has successfully completed the programme, stated that the training scheme provided her with all the necessary skills to tackle each challenge in her path.

"Currently I am working as an office assistant at ANHRD, the training provided me with better communication skills, ITC skills which will enable me to have a better future. It also gave me the motivation to go back to school, and in the future have my own small business," she said.

For the year 2016 to 2017, a total of 85 participants -28 boys and 57 girls -completed their training. The majority of the participants were trained in hospitality and customer service.

During the ceremony all the partners also received a token of appreciation from Minister Telemaque.

Those partners such as Kempinski, Hilton, Savoy, Laxmanbhai, Seychelles Breweries, Ephelia, Le Méridien Fisherman's Cove, Seychelles Postal Services, Abhaye Valabhji, Sunglower Daycare, Seychelles Tourism Board, Boat House and Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, have all gone the extra mile to ensure that the scheme is a success and contributes towards the future of the nation.

The ceremony also saw a video presentation on the success stories of the trainees where they expressed their appreciation of the programme as well as their achievement.

The Minister for Employment, Immigration and Civil Status, Miriam Telemaque, visited the Constance Ephelia Hotel and Resorts, as part of her ongoing program to synchronise the partnership between the ministry and the private establishments.

The Minister was accompanied by the Principal Secretary for Employment Department, Mr. Jules Baker, the Special Advisor for Employment Ms. Veronique Bresson, the Director General for Labour Relations Mr. Steve Monnaie and other officials from her ministry.

The delegation was led on a tour of the hotels facilities where they got the chance to interact with the workers in each department, of which most expressed their general satisfaction with their working conditions. Several issues related to service charge, salary package, and career progression were however raised.

During the debriefing with the management of the hotel, Minister Telemaque commended the establishment for maintaining a status amongst the hotels with more local workers than non-Seychellois and recognized the efforts made to improve the employees' work life balance by providing infrastructures like a kindergarten.

It was recommended that the management of the hotel considers the issues raised by the workers and that they review the remuneration packages that entail different pay grades to better compensate between work experience and education level. The General Manager, Mr. Stephenne Duchenne, said that it remains the spirit and core values of the Ephelia Group to find different ways and better incentives to retain staffs and create a learning environment to enable both personal development and on the job training.

The meeting closed with the Minister giving the assurance to Mr. Duchene, Mr. Orvilke, and the staffs of Ephelia of her ministry's support and to continue the dialogue to find solutions to the challenges raised to improve employee performance and employer relations.

The issues raised will be followed up in three months' time by labour inspectors.

'Business as normal' at Air Seychelles

The department of employment will be working in close collaboration with Air Seychelles Ltd to improve on the working conditions of the airline's staff.

This statement was made by the Minister for Employment, Immigration and Civil Status, Myriam Télémaque, after a series of ministerial visits she and her delegation undertook at Air Seychelles on September 21 and 22, 2017.

This forms part of her ministry's plan to conduct visits at different work places so as to interact with employees and better gauge their conditions of employment.

Due to the large scale of Air Seychelles which currently employs over 800 people, the visits spanned over two days and included tours at the company's Victoria sales offices, its Praslin terminal operations as well as operations at and near the international airport.

Minister Télémaque's visit revealed a lot of concerns from Air Seychelles staff, who were more than ready to list down their list of grievances to the minister and her team.

On the subject of redundancies, Air Seychelles confirmed to the ministerial delegation that there are currently no plans to make any employees redundant.

"What we have suggested to the management of Air Seychelles is to at least talk to their employees. Give them a timeframe as to when they will discuss on the issue of redundancy so as to remove doubts that they could lose their jobs," Minister Télémaque stated.

In an interview with the press, Mr Kinnear stated that the speculation on redundancies at Air Seychelles are unfounded.

"This is business as normal. I expect everyone to turn up and do a full day's hard work as I would expect on any day of the week," he said.

As to other speculations that Etihad is not injecting money into Air Seychelles and the latter will soon have to end its merger with the UAE carrier in light of challenges faced by Alitalia and Air Berlin, Mr Kinnear replied: "Etihad remains a fully committed stakeholder. The management contract has been renewed for the second five-year contract period as communicated earlier in the year. What is going on elsewhere in the world, with other European stakeholders does not in any way reflect on the Etihad-Air Seychelles relationship."

Air Berlin and Alitalia, two of Etihad's high profile investments, both filed for insolvency earlier this year.

Concerning salary increase, Mr Kinnear had this to say: "Some staff have had salary increases, some departments have had salary increases. We have got an ongoing range of vacancies going on every week and every month for staff to apply for promotions."

"I'm a big believer in internal promotion. I like to see people apply for a job that is a higher grid, they earn more salaries out of it, take up more responsibilities and develop their skills sets as well," explained Mr Kinnear.

He also stated that staff cannot remain in one job for an infinite period and expect to receive salary increments for the same type of work they have been doing for 10, 20 or even 30 years.

"In that way you are not rewarding for performance or productivity" but rather for longevity, which according to Mr Kinnear is no way to run a business.

Air Seychelles staff therefore have to distinguish themselves among their peers and perform to their utmost capacity to receive performance-related increments.

However, the airline's management will be exploring options for their low-salaried, shift-based employees.

When asked about the way forward now that these issues have been brought to their attention, Mr Kinnear guaranteed his staff that every single item raised during the debriefing session will be reviewed by the company.

"Sometimes comments are misinterpreted, sometimes they are made out of context and sometimes they are very valid. There will be a mix of things that will need addressing and there will be a mix of things that may have been borne out of confusion or misinterpretation. We now have to work with the staff and managers, and communicate to the staff to help understand what actions are to be taken," added Mr Kinnear.

The department of employment is expected to hand over an official report to the management of Air Seychelles and conduct a follow-up visit early next year.

The accompanying photographs show the minister and her team interacting with staff as well as a debriefing session with the airline's chief executive and his managerial team.

On Friday the 18th of August 2017, a Ministerial visit was made to the Casino Liberte at Anse Petit, Baie Lazare by the Minister of Employment, Immigration and Civil Status Mrs. Miriam Telemaque along with a delegation which comprised of Special Adviser, Director General Labour Relations and Director General Employment Programmes.

The management of the establishment welcomed the Minister and her delegation with warm introductions. The Marketing Executive Mrs Irina Kravchenko Ettienne led a tour through the premises of the various sections and offices. During this tour the Minister and her team met with workers on duty which provided the opportunity the opportunity to interact with them.

The objectives of the Ministerial visits are to understand the challenges faced by the private enterprises, to share best practices in managerial methods, to recognise areas for improvement as well as appreciate effort and to synchronize the partnership between the Ministry and the private establishments.

After the tour of the premises, a meeting was held between the Ministerial delegation and the management of the Casino. This meeting is the normal procedure of such visits whereby concerns and observations made are discussed in order to bring about solutions.

Ministry of Labour and Human Resource Development
Press Release
Minister for Labour and Human Resource Development, Ms Idith Alexander attends the 104th session of the International Labour Conference, Geneva
Tuesday 9th June 2015

The Minister for Labour and Human Resource Development, Ms Idith Alexander is heading a tripartite delegation from Seychelles at the 104th session of the International Labour Conference, organized by the International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland from 1st to 13th June 2015.

Minister Alexander addressed the Conference on Tuesday 9th June 2015, and focused her intervention on the report of the Director General of the ILO, Mr Guy Ryder entitled “The future of work centenary initiatives” and also on the main items on the agenda: “Facilitating transition from the informal to the formal economy” and “Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and decent and productive employment creation.”

Accordingly Minister Alexander stated that Seychelles as a small island developing state is also concerned with the future of work. “In appreciating our achievements, we are also mindful of our vulnerabilities. The persisting global challenges such as climate change on our shores, on our workers and businesses affirm that the labour market does not operate in isolation. Today climate change is not only about reducing environmental impact on society but it is also about protecting jobs, promoting renewable energy businesses and preserving the quality of life of a nation. The Government of Seychelles therefore remains active in the international community and we remain committed in creating new jobs namely through the diversification of our economy, particularly by the concept of the Blue Economy,” explained Minister Alexander.

Minister Alexander also affirmed that the Government of Seychelles will continue to strive for the formalization of SMEs. “The future of work for Seychelles will greatly depend on the love for our country, the determination of our people, the ambitions of our youth, the responsibility of workers, effective human resource management practices, productivity,entrepreneurship and sustainable businesses that generate decent jobs” explained the Minister.

The Minister also appealed to employers and workers to continue actively working together thereby building the future of work that we are all striving for.
The other members of the Seychelles delegation attending the ILO Conference are Ms Veronique Bresson, Principal Secretary for Labour and Human Resource Development, Ms Susan Morel, Director Policy Planning and Research, Mrs Michelle Labrosse, Executive Secretary of the Federation of the Employer’ Association of Seychelles and Mr Antoine Robinson, Secretary General of the Seychelles Federation of Workers’ Union.

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As the end of the year approaches, the Minister for Labour and Human Resource Development, Ms Idith Alexander’s tour of private sector businesses and institutions has been going well. On Friday 17^th October, she conducted her 26^th visit of the year which was to the International School Seychelles.

The Minister, accompanied by officials from her Ministry was greeted by the Principal of the School, Mr Karl Wilkinson and Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Mrs Laura Valabhji. The Ministerial delegation was taken on a tour of the school, during which they were introduced to various members of the staff and student body.

The visit covered all forms, from kindergarten to Sixth Form. At each of the locations visited, the Minister interacted with staff members, most of whom expressed satisfaction with their present conditions.

At the end of the visit, a meeting was held between members of the International School staff and the Minister’s delegation. The main issue discussed were contracts of employment and remuneration packages. Mrs Valabhji assured the Minister that the school has already laid out a new salary structure, which will entail different grades of pay based on various factors such as prior work experience, education level, etc.

According to Mrs Valabhji, this new structure will be communicated to the staff shortly. This was well-received by the Minister, who emphasised that communication is an important factor within workplaces.

As with previous visits on her tour, the Minister brought to Mr. Wilkinson’s and Mrs. Valabhji’s attention the scholarship financing programme that the Ministry of Labour is working on in union with ANHRD. Mr. Wilkinson and Mrs. Valabhji expressed intrigue with the idea.

The Minister re-emphasised her desire for increased co-operation between the government and the private sector and the meeting closed with her assurance to Mrs. Valabhji, Mr Wilkinson, and the staff of her Ministry’s support and assistance.

Mrs. Valabhji, Mr. Wilkinson, and the teachers in attendance expressed their sincere gratitude for the Minister’s time and attention on these matters and voiced their interest in closer ties with the Ministry of Labour.