Newton Brown - Worker of the Year 2013

Newton Brown, stevedore, is the Shipping Association of Jamaica's (SAJ) Port Worker of the Year 2013. Brown topped a list of 184 nominees to win the prestigious award.

Nominees were assessed from among the SAJ's pool of registered and casual workers. Operations managers and supervisors at both Kingston Wharves Limited and KCT Services Limited independently assessed each worker on areas such as quality of work, skills, and competence and safety compliance, while staff of the SAJ assessed workers on teamwork, knowledge, and interest in the job and time management.

A very humble Brown said that the award came as a surprise. "I wasn't expecting an award of this magnitude. It has changed a lot of things in my mind," he said. He believes the award will serve as an inspiration to other stevedores. "I think it gives hope that in spite of what is happening, there is the opportunity to be honoured," Brown added.

The award comes at a time in Brown's career when he is very passionate about his role and function in an ever-changing shipping industry. He joined the SAJ in 1996 as a casual worker after completing a course in marine engineering at the Caribbean Maritime Institute. His goal was to work at sea, but with limited spaces available, found himself on land instead.

'no regrets'

Eighteen years later, he said he has no regrets. In fact, his entire value system is now different compared to when he first began. Back in 1996, he was unsure of his future in the industry and how his role contributed to the growth of the industry. However, in the early 2000s, a documentary produced by Ports of America, which provided details on his job function, changed his mindset regarding his value in the industry.

"It changed how I saw myself in the industry. It brought a new spin on how I'm valued. I then changed the whole me on the job and my approach. I see myself as no less than a doctor, an engineer, or a mechanic operating within this industry," Brown said.

With his new-found sense of value came a thirst for knowledge. This was followed by a desire to grow in his job. So when the opportunity to be cross-trained arose, Brown applied to be trained as a stevedore coordinator. He was part of the first batch of stevedores successful in completing the course. Later, he completed the NCTVET Level 1 stevedoring course offered by the SAJ, which is an NCTVET-accredited training organisation.

He continued to excel in his role and later became a delegate representing his colleagues at the Joint Industrial Council (JIC). He describes the JIC as a platform for learning. "I learned a lot at the JIC. It was never easy, but I learned a lot about business strategies," Brown said.

After resigning as a delegate, Brown found another passion: training - as a member of the SAJ in-house training team. To date, he has trained three batches of stevedores. "I believe in empowering others. I see training as how I see a child, my child growing up," Brown shared.

He takes his role as a trainer seriously and as such, he is constantly researching international standards and reviewing his training material. Improvement of on-the-job skills is a must in his book. He believes workers should "make what you do better". He does not take all the credit for himself, however, but gives tribute to his teammate and training partner, Gavonnie Phipps, for his support and also to his stevedore colleagues for their trust in the two of them.

industry changes

During his 18 years of service, Brown has witnessed many changes in the industry, including the expansion of the port and the arrival of mega vessels. He thinks that there is much more to come and believes that Jamaica should seize the opportunities that are to come from the planned logistics hub.

Brown is a past student of Dunoon Technical High School in St Andrew. He is married to Kemesha and has two children - Javier and Deschanel.

He is dedicating his Worker of the Year Award to his son Javier. "There's no day that I go home that he doesn't ask me how was work," Brown said. "I look forward to that."