Buchanan THE LABOUR Advisory Committee (LAC) failed yesterday to resolve the controversial definition of "worker", but there was progress towards a resolution of the matter.
The Gleaner understands that Donald Buchanan, Minister of Labour and Social Security, proposed at yesterday's LAC meeting, that the unions and the employers use the next two weeks to come up with a new proposal to amend the definition of "worker" in the Labour Relations and Industrial Disputes Act (LRIDA).
Trade union sources said that they were confident that they would be able to reach a compromise within the period. It is likely that a proposal which had been suggested by the Jamaica Employers' Federation during the Joint Select Committee's study of the Bill will be reconsidered.
Trade unionists are threatening to tackle at the Bar of the House of Representatives, the Minister's proposal to maintain the status quo in terms of the legal definition of who is a "worker", unless they can get assurances that contracted workers, including security guards, will be protected.
The Joint Select Committee of Parliament, which studied proposals for amending the Labour Relations and Industrial Disputes Act, has already tabled its report in the House and a debate is expected later this month on those proposals.
