MESSAGE BY MINISTER PATRICIA FRANCOURT ON THE OCCASION OF LABOUR DAY, 1^ST MAY 2021

Strength of a Worker: Resilience and Determination

It gives me great pleasure to address all of you on this annual celebration which acknowledges the courage of all workers who continuously contribute towards the economy of our country. On this special day, all workers join together and celebrate their success, achievements and tenacity in their respective area of expertise.

However, as every corner of the world, our nation was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which have caused major impacts in the lives of our hard working men and women, one way or another. Nevertheless, for a developing country like Seychelles, the pandemic has forced us to observe valuable lessons such as to adopt certain attitudes for example acquiring multiple skills in order for workers to become more marketable as we as a country diversify the labour market. This is not only to create more work opportunities for people but most importantly work towards the sustainable development for our country. In addition, during this pandemic each and every one of us had to adapt to certain measures in the workplace so as to create a safe environment for workers and their clients whilst discharging our responsibilities.  

Workers, this past year has created instability in every sector of the economy. The effects have been endless from many companies and institutions being closed due to the restrictions to many workers being made redundant, having salary reductions or even being laid off until the situations alleviated. However, together we have remained resilient through it all. This year, the commitment to restructure the labour market remains our main priority as without the labour force, our country cannot function. To all the hard workers out there, we applaud your resilience through it all and the strength to keep on going despite the challenges and uncertainty. We must remain united as this is what will make us stronger as a country. It is important to be aware that within this new era, a change of mindset impose, a mentality that all workers should embrace in order to be productive and elevate their lives, their workplace and the country. For example, it is important to make use of different skills set so as to deliver good services and increase productivity whilst being aware of the new normal and the protocols in place. This requires strength and positivity that slowly everything will be back to normal. 

To all Employers, your perseverance has been recognized through all uncertainties surrounding the pandemic. There were times where you had to make the hardest of decisions surrounding your business and workers. You have weathered your storm each day as it comes in order to find the next opportunity and seize it.  Slowly the country is getting back on its feet thus, paving the way to continue towards a better future. We continue to be hopeful for better things to come.

Let us take this time to acknowledge the tremendous sacrifices made by our brothers and sisters through this pandemic. Many have had to make adjustments in their life through job losses, our past students who have studied in a particular area of expertise but then had to accommodate to other areas of priority due to shortages of job opportunities. There are new opportunities upon the horizon though the country is still navigating through the aftermath of the pandemic. At this juncture I urge all of you to seize these opportunities and though there are challenges it is important to persevere. It is important that each and every one of us takes our responsibilities to build our future and secure employment.

In conclusion, let us remind ourselves that work remains the epitome of the people’s life in order to survive, enhance their quality of life and decreases dependency which in turns increases the riches of the nation and give rise to the stability of the economy. Despite various challenges, the ability to be resilient remains in each and every one of us to achieve our professional goals. With these challenges, you will also experience moments of sacrifices but great sacrifice leads to great rewards. Therefore, in that respect, it is important that each and every one of us never gives up and also strives for excellence.

Happy Labour Day to you all