Gov’t to Put Measures in Place to Address Work Disruptions

Minister of Labour and Social Security Hon. Pearnel Charles has said that the Government is concerned about the industrial relations climate and will be putting measures in place to prevent any form of disruption.
“We have soundings from our oversight committees that there could be possible disruptions from various areas in the economy and the country as a result of the hard time and freeze on wages. Come the next two weeks, during the Sectoral Debate, I will be making some revolutionary disclosures in an attempt to bring closure to the situations we are now facing with the unions, workers and employers,” he stated.
The Minister, who was addressing yesterday’s (May 13) post Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, said that the measures will take into consideration, how and when workers and employers can take industrial action.
“The measures are an attempt to bring closure to how you can strike, when you can strike, how you can lock out a labourer, how you can withdraw labour or how you can break a contract,” he informed.
He noted that the Ministry of Labour is in dialogue with the unions and management with regards to how matters can be settled “because there is no need for any worker to have to strike, withdraw their services or for management to lock out a worker if a dispute arises.”
Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding, who was also at the press briefing, reiterated that the Government, could not at this time, afford to pay the seven per cent increase due to public sector workers under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
“We have had to say to the different groups that the country just cannot afford to provide a seven per cent increase to workers. The question of whether we can find the seven per cent wasn’t something up for negotiation, because we just can’t find it. We have been saying to the unions that we will honour all those who have not gotten their 15 per cent (for year one), since everybody else have gotten, then we will have to pay those. But otherwise, we don’t have the money to pay the seven per cent,” the Prime Minister stated.
The Jamaica Constabulary Force, Island Special Constabulary Force, medical doctors and nurses are some of the public sector workers, who have been pressing the Government for a wage increase. The Government announced a freeze on wages during the recently concluded Budget Debate.
A MoU signed between the Government and trade unions representing public sector workers, provided for a 15 per cent increase in wages from April 1, 2008.
The agreement also provides for a further seven per cent increase as of April this year, which Mr. Golding has stated that the Government cannot pay because of the current economic climate.