Gareth Manning, Gleaner Writer

( L - R ) Lawes, Morris and Hinchcliffe

A statement on the issue of flexible work arrangements last week has been met with some mixed responses from the Church and employers.

The proposal, which was first made in 2000, found its way into the public arena again last week when Junior Minister of Labour and Social Security, Senator Floyd Morris, raised the issue while speaking at a Telework Consultation workshop.

The Senator said the Government was committing itself to imple-menting the flexi work week because the country would benefit from the arrangement. Senator Morris said the arrangement would increase productivity as workers will be inclined to complete work in a prescribed time.

But the committee of Concerned Church Leaders (CCL), which represents the views of the Church on the issue, is sticking to its argument that such an arrangement would cut into important family life and worship time.

Committee member and director of religious liberty in the West Indies Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Princess Lawes, said while CCL would be more comfortable with work arrangements as they are now, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is not opposed to the institution of a flexi work week so long as it respects the worker's right to worship.

"We would be better off with a five-day work week, Monday to Friday. We believe if the Government is still going ahead with flexible work arrangements, we as the Seventh-day Adventist Church are not opposed to flexible work arrangements, as long as the right of the individual to his day of worship is guaranteed in any arrangement in any legislation that is put forward," she said.

HOLD GOVERMENT TO ITS WORD

Two years ago, the Government and other stakeholders, in a draft agreement with the International Labour Organisation, agreed that all workers should be entitled to his day of worship, Ms. Lawes said she is confident that the Government would not go back on its word.

The church group wants immediate discussion on the matter again and has drafted a letter to be sent to the Minister of Labour, Derrick Kellier, to reconvene discus-sions. Ms. Lawes said since Mr. Kellier rose to the post of Labour Minister, the issue has been shelved. The joint select committee discussing the issue last year was slated to reconvene in March, but it has still not met. Senator Morris said the committee will reconvene before year-end.

Meanwhile, president of the Jamaica Employers' Federation, Audrey Hinchcliffe, said the federation is pleased that the issue has been raised again by the Government. She said this may mean that the issue was getting a step closer to becoming legislation.

"I think the last consultation we had was before the (Joint) Select Committee of Parliament (last year) and it seems to have been stuck there ... Government has always been supportive of it but it is just to get it out of the hands of the (committee) into the hands of the people who draft the law," she said.