NelsonTHE JAMAICA Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) has agreed to meet Minister of Labour and Social Security, Horace Dalley, on Tuesday to discuss their concerns about the Ministry's conciliation machinery and labour market reform.
JCTU vice-president, Senator Dwight Nelson, said yesterday that the boycott instituted by the Confederation on Tuesday would remain in place pending the meeting. The unions will meet Mr. Dalley at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, Tuesday morning.
The Confederation had issued a statement, on Tuesday, criticising the Ministry as being incapable of providing the necessary level of assistance to parties engaged in industrial disputes and accused it of merely passing on disputes to the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT).
The boycott is against all industrial relations meetings involving the Ministry.
The issue was raised at yesterday's meeting with Mr. Dalley and Dr. Robertson at Jamaica House, which had been originally scheduled to discuss social dialogue (social contract) issues.
The trade unions, including the JTA, raised two concerns with Dr. Robertson, the Minister of Development under whose portfolio social dialogue falls. These were their criticisms of the Ministry of Labour, and the non-settlement of the teachers' pay dispute.
The JCTU had received a letter from Mr. Dalley on Wednesday night, offering the olive branch of a meeting Tuesday morning to discuss their concerns. Previous to that Mr. Dalley had admitted that the pace of labour market reform, one of the prime concerns of the unions, was too slow and promised to increase the pace through dialogue. The letter was discussed yesterday.
In terms of the teachers' salary issue, the JCTU offered its assistance in resolving the dispute. The Ministers accepted and a meeting is expected next week to discuss an approach. JTA president, Sadie Comrie, and secretary general, Dr. Adolph Cameron, attended the meeting.
The parties also agreed to appoint a committee to explore the possibilities of social dialogue, or a social contract, which has been in discussions since 1996 without success.
