The Government and the social partners of the Bahamas have taken further steps in implementing the Decent Work Agenda in their country. In an effort to improve the industrial relations climate of the Bahamas, representatives of Government, and employers' and workers' organizations met from 21-25 March 2011 at an International Labour Organization tripartite workshop in Nassau, Bahamas, to undergo training in conciliation, mediation and negotiation. It was the first time that the ILO delivered this type of training to all three groups in a workshop. The workshop had the advantage of equipping all three sides of the negotiation table with the same tools and knowledge for adopting a more consensual approach to industrial relations and of building trust among the parties.

Twenty participants comprising Labour Officers of the Ministry of Labour as well as employer and union representatives, attended the workshop.

The institutional strengthening of the Ministry of Labour and the employers' and workers' organizations, and social dialogue, are two priorities of the Decent Work Country Programme being implemented in the Bahamas with the support of the International Labour Organization. Decent Work Country Programmes promote employment and decent work as key components of national development strategies.