THE EDITOR, Sir:
THERE ARE many incidents in the past whereby if it weren't for the Employment Termination and Redundancy Payments Act persons would have been laid off with no regard to basic ethics. The Act guards against unfair dismissal of employees inasmuch as it provides for monetary compensation, and has many times in the past prevented persons from losing their jobs in an unjustifiable manner, as was about to happen in the case of the Ministry of Labour vs. the West Indies Yeast Company, and the Jamaica Broilers vs. the National Wor-kers' Union, and the list goes on.
Mr. Younis in the Thursday, January 8, 2004 edition of The Gleaner was quoted as saying that "businesses which think it advisable to close or restructure their operations, are often unable to do so because of the high cost of compensating workers who lose their jobs in the process."
News Flash! The law was made to protect the worker, businesses have a responsibility to themselves, which they always look after, it is up to the law then to make sure that the rights of the workers are being protected.
Herbert Lewis, president of the Jamaica Employers Federation, made the comment that he thinks the time is now right to deal with it (the removal of the Act). At a time when there is economic instability and widespread poverty, it is indeed amazing to me that Mr. Lewis could deem now the right time. It is also interesting that at a time when the Government is seeking to lay off workers that the talk of removing the Redundancy Act is floating around.
Policies such as that of liberalisation that crippled the Financial Sector in the 90s, and the youthful exuberance that was the drive behind NETSERV, among the other detrimental programmes and decisions that our leaders have made, do not seem to be the reason that this country is failing. Instead, the leaders in every sector of Jamaica are allowed to arrogantly display their incompetence while the poor pay with high taxes, and the stripping away of their basic rights.
I wonder if the time is right for anything else. I wonder if our forefathers will some day be made proud. Do we live in a democracy, or what?
Workers in Jamaica should make it their duty to oppose, oppose, and oppose the removal of the Redundancy Act!
I am, etc.,
ASHIEK REMLAP
ashiekrem@hotmail.com
