Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter

( L - R ) Vincent Morrison, Jacqueline Coke-Lloyd - File photos

The Jamaica Employers' Federation (JEF) and trade unions on Wednesday urged the Government to enact labour legislation, which they say are critical in moving the country forward.

The group made representation at the Labour Advisory Committee meeting at the Ministry of Labour.

Jacqueline Coke-Lloyd, executive director of the JEF outlined a range of urgent matters, which she said were of paramount importance to employers.

"There are a number of very serious and outstanding matters. First on the agenda for us, of course, is the matter of legislation, which needs to be amended and updated," she stated.

Urgent legislation

President of the National Workers Union (NWU), Vincent Morrison, said urgent legislation such as a flexible work week and occupational health and safety legislation were some of the laws that needed to be put back on to the table.

"There are a number of legislation, for example, the flexi work week. I think that we have to look at that urgently," he said. "There is also the HIV/AIDS (legislation), the national workforce policy that we have to look at, because as we speak, there are Jamaicans in the workplace being discriminated against."

Addressing these concerns, Labour Minister Pearnel Charles said he had been given a directive from the Cabinet to fast-track these legislation.

Some of these legislation include the Labour Relations and Industrial Disputes Act, which would facilitate the hearing of disputes involving non-unionised workers by the Industrial Disputes Tribunal.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act has been in the works since 1995. The bill is supposed to address safety and health issues at the workplace.

Occupational safety problems

It was advocated by the International Labour Organisation report, which noted that occupational safety problems in Jamaica were largely due to lack of awareness and knowledge about the hazards faced by employers and employees.

The proposed bill is expected to replace the current Factories Act, which was passed in 1943, and which does not address current issues - such as noise control, hazardous chemicals and the field of occupational health in general - that affect workers.

dionne.rose@gleanerjm.com