THE JAMAICA Employers' Federation (JEF) gave new Minister of Labour and Social Security, Horace Dalley, an early warning last week, that all-important job creation would not be possible in a violent and inhospitable climate that did not attract investment.
"You have a mission to ensure that jobs are retained and jobs are created," JEF President Herbert Lewis told the Minister at a group meeting at JEF headquarters in Kingston last Thursday. "Crime and violence is a serious impediment to job creation. Until we can address this problem, we are going to have serious difficulties."
The meeting, involving Minister, staff and members of JEF, also threw up what the JEF viewed as an unsatisfactory Industrial Dispute Tribunal (IDT), harsh termination and redundancy payments under the Employment Act and an outdated Trade Union Act.
"If we can find a solution to these kinds of difficulties, I think jobs will be created," Lewis said.
Although Minister Dalley acknowledged that crime and violence may impede growth and job creation, he responded that the two elements were often afforded too much of the blame for economic problems. However, he noted that if jobs could be created, Government could intervene to provide security in affected areas.
JEF members also raised fears that the Ministry is biased towards the interests of labour, as opposed to those of management, with Lewis urging Dalley to ensure his Ministry is "seen as a Ministry to deal with work place issues and not just the interests of trade unionists".
"Over time a number of employers have looked at the Ministry of Labour and have criticised (it) as a Ministry for labour and not a Ministry of labour," he said.
Addressing the Industrial Disputes Tribunal, Mr. Lewis recommended that, in terms of the trade unions and the Government, "consideration should be given to the appointment of people who have an understanding of finance, economics and general management."
The JEF also select two members to sit on the Tribunal, while the Ministry selects the Chairperson.
"Some decisions are taken at the hands of the tribunal which affect millions and millions of dollars of investment in the country," Lewis said. "(The selection of) representatives of the trade unions is like a retirement benefit for them. We are not satisfied with the level of performance."
JEF members also raised concerns that the draft occupational health and safety legislation was based on a Canadian model unsuitable for Jamaica The JEF members present were assured by Ministry officials that the draft occupation health and safety legislation has "a strong Jamaican flavour" with an input from both the unions and the JEF itself.
Addressing lapses in record-keeping, Minister Dalley urged the members of the JEF and other employers to provide a statement of NIS contributions for each employee.
"We are fighting for each worker at the end of the year (to have) a statement on their contributions," he said. "JEF logically has to play a part to get their employers to do this."
"There is no standardised record-keeping on behalf of the workers of this country," he continued, noting that the current situation is "creating a lot of problems for people when they retire they have nothing to go by".
The suggestion by JEF Executive Director, Jacqueline Coke-Lloyd, that the minimum wage should be calculated on an annual basis, was met with a warmer response from the Minister's delegation.
"We ought to put a plan in place so it is done annually by which employers can plan by," she said.
Minister Dalley, in his opening address, remarked that he expects "to have a very good working relationship with the JEF".
He said that he will be working closely with the Federation and other social partners, including the trade unions and the Planning Institute of Jamaica, to update employment figures on a timely basis.
