PARAMARIBO – The Surinamese Business Association (VSB) calls on the business community to provide substantive input on the draft state decisions regarding light and hazardous work for children within a short period of time. According to the VSB, the consultation earlier this week, held by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour, has direct consequences for companies that work with young workers.
Tightening of legislation
The proposed regulations should further elaborate and clarify the Employment of Young Persons and Children Act. This establishes, among other things, which forms of light work are permitted for young people aged 13 and over, and under what conditions this work may take place. At the same time, the list of prohibited and high-risk activities is being expanded and tightened.
The draft decisions show that an exhaustive list of permitted light work is being introduced, with strict requirements applicable in the areas of safety, health and the development of the child. In addition, a negative list is established of activities that are explicitly not considered light work. This includes work with dangerous machines, exposure to harmful substances and activities with psychosocial risks.
The existing Hazardous Work Decree is also being revised. New bans include exposure to high noise levels without protection, work at heights or with heavy physical strain and the use of specific industrial machines and installations. The appendices to the draft regulations also include an extensive risk inventory per sector, linking activities to concrete restrictions and protection requirements.
Consequences of amended rules
According to the VSB, these measures have significant consequences for sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, trade, logistics and services. Companies are faced with stricter compliance requirements, possible adjustments in the deployment of young people and increased liability risks in the event of violations of the rules.
The organization emphasizes that it is very important that the final regulations are not only legally sound, but also practically enforceable and economically responsible. Against this background, the VSB asks its members to specifically look at the workability of the proposed provisions within their sector, possible interpretation problems and any bottlenecks that may arise from the new lists of permitted and prohibited work.
Rules must be enforceable
In addition, companies are asked to assess the extent to which the proposed standards are enforceable within existing business processes and, where necessary, to provide concrete text suggestions or legal adjustments.
The VSB has only one week to formulate a response and will combine the input received into a coordinated position. In doing so, the organization wants to contribute to balanced regulations that both guarantee the protection of young people and take into account the operational reality of business.
