Bermuda’s workers have been praised for carrying out their duties in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jason Hayward, the minister of labour, issued a statement today – the International Day of Workers – applauding workers for their diligence and effort.

The minister said: “Many will celebrate this day by marching and conducting protest and strikes in which they raise their voice to aware the workers of their rights so that no one can exploit them.

“As you will guess, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the celebrations around the world will look a little different this year.

“As minister of labour and a former union leader, I am always honoured to raise awareness to this day and pay tribute to Bermuda’s dedicated workers and labourers.

“Today, however, I am especially honoured as I do this in the middle of a pandemic.

“The importance of our workers has been magnified as many have continued to serve this community as essential workers throughout the last year.

“Once again, when the community was told to go home and stay indoors, our essential workers continued working - ensuring we all had the goods and services we needed to survive.”

Mr Hayward claimed that Government had passed a number of laws in support of workers, including recent amendments to employment laws which gave increased rights to employees.

“Additionally, we are currently working to establish an unemployment insurance programme, a statutory minimum wage, a national living wage, and extending the moratorium on work permits.

“On this day, it is worth repeating the efforts being taken by the ministry’s department of workforce development to assist in the re-employment of Bermudians through the national re-employment strategy.”

The minister concluded: “I want to reassure the Bermuda community that the ministry of labour remains committed to its mission to support economic development and increase jobs for Bermudians and, with this at the forefront, we will continue to leverage every opportunity to develop policies and programmes that are aligned with this mission.

“Again, happy May Day to all the workers in Bermuda. We thank you for your dedication, commitment, and service to the people of Bermuda.”