Labour Minister Describes GSRJ as Good Example of Operation Streamline

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., is highlighting German Ship Repair Jamaica (GSRJ) as a good example of ‘Operation Streamline’, which he recently announced.

Minister Charles Jr. was speaking during a tour of the GSRJ, located at 17 Sir Florizel Glasspole Highway, Kingston, on Thursday (February 27).

“This company is a very good representation, an example of that kind of operation in action where we have facilitated bringing in the necessary skills that are not here, but to ensure that there’s a balance, that as we bring in labour, the transfer of skills and knowledge to our locals is an imperative,” he said.

The tour served to familiarise the Minister with the company’s operations, assess its contribution to employment and workforce development, and underscore the Government’s dedication to establishing robust Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) legislation.

This visit marks the first in a series of tours encompassing docks, factories, construction sites, and other industrial environments, all of which will be directly impacted by the proposed OSH legislation.

These tours are designed to provide invaluable insights into industry-specific safety challenges and inform the development of effective regulatory measures.

Minister Charles Jr. noted the success in the transfer of knowledge at the shipyard, stating that the number of foreign workers brought in “perhaps a year or two ago has been cut down by 50 per cent because those skills have now been transferred to Jamaicans”.

The Minister also highlighted the collaboration among the Ministry, GSRJ, Caribbean Maritime University (CMU), and HEART/NSTA Trust in providing opportunities for Jamaican students and workers.

“You see the exposure to our CMU students as interns who then move on to be on staff in a very nuanced area of engineering. In terms of maritime, this is an opportunity that they would never get anywhere else in Jamaica,” Minister Charles Jr. explained.

“This collaboration with CMU, HEART, and with all of the other skill training institutes here… allows Jamaicans to be able to enter into this very intricate area of engineering, which I believe will continue to make us globally competitive and make us attractive as a hub,” he added.

A key focus of the tour was the company’s commitment to safety and productivity.

Minister Charles Jr. stressed that “we are focused on productivity, and a big part of the operations here is to keep the space safe, keep the workers healthy, and one of the big reasons behind that is because a safer space and healthier workers mean better productivity. Productivity is what we are pushing for in Jamaica, in order for us to maintain growth and have sustainable growth and development”.

For his part, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GSRJ, Martin Rickman, expressed his appreciation for the Ministry’s support in both recruiting local talent and ensuring a safe working environment.

“In addition to the support that we have been given to facilitate the buildout of our labour force, using expat workers, bringing in the foreign labour to help to train the local people and so on, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security has also facilitated and assisted us in recruiting the local talents that we have brought here,” he said.

Mr. Rickman also commended the collaboration with the organisational health and safety arm of the Ministry.

“The team has come to the shipyard and inspected the entire shipyard for our US regulations. They have found faults, but what they have been doing is working together with us, and as we identify these issues, we make steps to address them. And so, it’s been an ongoing and very collaborative process, which I’m really appreciative of,” Mr. Rickman said.