MOU Major Step at Improving Industrial Relations – Jackson

State Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Fitz Jackson, has described the two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), signed between the Government and the Trade Unions representing workers in the public sector, as a major step towards improving industrial relations in the sector.
According to Mr. Jackson, the process involved in arriving at an MOU, provides for greater interaction between the Government and the trade unions at the highest level and has allowed for a better working environment for public sector workers.
“It affords meaningful understanding without undue delays, which removes the opportunity for apprehension, doubts and cynicism on the part of both the workers and their union representatives,” he told JIS News.
“Much of that existed before,” he said, noting that prior to the signing of both MOU I and MOU II, workers and their unions did not have a great level of trust and confidence in the Government.
The MOU, he added, “emanated out of a frankness that never existed in the public sector”.
“It was not by any grand design or intent. It came about when we sought to put a halt on the sharp increase in the public sector wage bill that we believed was uncontrollable,” he explained.
“We were pursuing an economic programme that sought to put a restraint on the national debt as well as reduce the deficit of the budget. We put all of those facts on the table before the trade unions as well as opened up all our official data houses on the economy, so that the unions’ representatives could conduct their own analysis,” Mr. Jackson continued.
As a result of the openness between both parties, the Government and the unions were able to complete the negotiations in a much shorter time period.
Additionally, he noted that much of the industrial relations issues that existed before in the sector were as a result of the poor level of communication between the workers and their employers.
Discussing some of the benefits of the MOU, the State Minister said that, “what we have been able to do through the MOU is to facilitate greater social dialogue. Dialogue allows for clarification. With clarification you have the removal of misunderstanding and it allows for a better industrial relations climate”.
“We are not saying that the MOU is perfect. However, one of the lessons that emerged out of MOU I was a need to adopt a more pro-active approach in ensuring that the interaction takes place at the local levels in all ministries and agencies,” Mr. Jackson said.
“We need to ensure that interaction not only takes place but also seek to improve on the quality of the interaction between the employer and the employee,” he added, stressing that, “when this sort of interaction does not exist, it makes our job more difficult at the negotiation stage”.
According to the State Minister, “what we find is that many issues which should have been resolved at the local level find their way at the negotiation table. Some of the issues that are often presented at the negotiation table are management issues, which cannot be negotiated by line workers. These issues ought to be pursued by the management of the various organizations and agencies. The MOU, through the Public Sector Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, provides a mechanism for issues like these to be dealt with in a timely manner”.
Established by Cabinet in 2004, the Public Sector Monitoring and Evaluation Committee was designed to ensure that the provisions of the first MOU were upheld. This responsibility remains within the context of the fulfillment of the Successor Agreement (MOU II), but with a greater focus on policy issues.