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In an effort to eliminate child labour across the Caribbean, Jamaica will host a training workshop for key regional stakeholders in July.

State Minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Zavia Mayne, made the announcement during Wednesday’s (April 25) launch of the 2016 Jamaica Youth Activity Survey, at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge, St. Andrew.

Mr. Mayne indicated that the ‘train the trainers’ workshop, to be staged in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), will focus on labour inspection processes.

He said representatives from Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, and Guyana, are expected to join their counterparts in Jamaica for the forum.

Mr. Mayne said data from the survey will be incorporated in the proceedings to help in steering the discussions at the workshop, as well as contribute to developing other policies, targeting a reduction in the incidence of child labour.

The State Minister also announced Jamaica’s involvement in piloting a predictive model framework that was developed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in collaboration with the ILO, which is also expected to assist in the process of eliminating child labour.

“Microdata from this survey, as well as the 2011 census data, will be inputted in this model to create vulnerability maps, which will identify geographical areas where the likelihood of child labour may occur and in what sector,” he added.

Mr. Mayne pointed out that the Ministry recognises the need to develop a database that provides timely and credible information on child labour to facilitate the appropriate interventions.

As such, he said the Ministry is in dialogue with other international partners to achieve this goal.

“It is important for us to establish a framework so that victims (of child labour) can be referred to relevant institutions to access services and facilitate greater monitoring to ensure proper reintegration into society,” the State Minister said.

Mr. Mayne gave the assurance that the Ministry will maintain the partnerships forged to eliminate child labour in Jamaica.

“Our children are the future, and they should be protected from anything that causes them physical, mental and social harm. There is no doubt that we have been making tremendous strides.

However, there is much more work left to be done in the fight against child labour,” he said.

The 2016 Jamaica Youth Activity Survey 2016 was jointly undertaken by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Statistical Institute of Jamaica and ILO. It is the first stand-alone national survey of children’s activities to be conducted.

The objectives of the exercise were to collect comprehensive information on children’s engagement in economic activities; improve information on working children, child labour and hazardous work at the national and regional levels; strengthen the Government of Jamaica’s capacity to conduct future data collection, research and analysis of child labour and to use information collected to monitor United Nations Sustainable Development Goal # 8, Target 8.7, which addresses the matter.

The report provides quantitative, reliable and updated statistics on working children, child labour and hazardous work performed by children in Jamaica.

The 2016 survey found that approximately 53,274 children participated in economic activities and were working between the ages of five and 17 years. Of this number, 33,436 were boys and 19,838 were girls.

Additionally, the survey found that 37,965 of the 53,274 children engaged in child labour, which refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children and interferes with their school attendance and education.

Source: http://jis.gov.jm/jamaica-to-host-regional-child-labour-elimination-workshop-in-july/

Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Zavia Mayne, is encouraging companies to increase their investments in human capital development.

He said the benefits of doing so include the retention of institutional knowledge; enablement of succession planning; and higher levels of productivity and quality service delivery.

The State Minister was speaking at the opening ceremony for the ninth annual Make Your Mark Consultants Middle Managers’ Conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, on Tuesday (April 24).

Mr. Mayne noted that training and human capital development are key pillars that are pivotal to driving economic growth, while adding that the need for quality leaders will continue to increase as economies grow and diversify.

In this regard, he said organisations should endeavour to develop individuals of this calibre at all levels.

“Quality leadership plays a key role in employee recruitment and engagement. Without the skills to motivate and engage your workforce, business productivity will be impacted and the company’s ability to retain talent will suffer,” he contended.

The State Minister argued that there will always be increasing need for quality leadership, development of which should be a planned integrated learning activity for all organisations.

Highlighting the significance of the conference theme, ‘Navigating the Leadership Pipeline’, Mr. Mayne said participants will be able to sharpen and develop their leadership skills while being sensitised about potential challenges.

“The challenge to leadership is real, as the demands will come from the Boardroom, the Chief Executive Officer, the shareholders, the media and, indeed, the customers,” he said.

Additionally, the State Minister said challenges will arise from competitors in various sectors, requiring leaders who display the depth of vision to strategically and successfully position their organisations within the global marketplace.

For her part, Managing Director of Make Your Mark Consultants, Jacqueline Coke-Lloyd, said conference participants will be provided with new learning opportunities, including management and leadership core skills that they can implement in their organisations, and, in the process, serve as agents for positive change.

Ms. Coke-Lloyd said the conference is designed to meet the needs and build the capacity of middle managers in the public and private sector.

She pointed out that a core function of the middle manager is to bridge the gap between C-level executives and the general workforce.

This year’s two-day conference, which runs from April 24 to 25, is focused on personal and professional development, including leadership, human resource development, customer service and sales, communication, the CEO’s perspective; and managing in the middle

Source: https://jis.gov.jm/state-minister-urges-increased-investments-in-human-capital-development/

THE Government will be strengthening the delivery of skills training and special education needs to poor individuals with disabilities during the new fiscal year.

This is through a $55.5-million allocation to the Social and Economic Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities Project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour of Social Security.

As contained in the 2018/19 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, the funds will provide for employability and skills development of persons with disabilities aged 18 to 38.

It will also go towards speech and rehabilitative physiotherapy sessions for children up to six years who are beneficiaries of the Early Stimulation Programme (ESP).

Other targets include delivering workshops to parents of children with disabilities; procuring additional assistive aids; and procuring and implementing a management information system.

The Social and Economic Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities Project is funded by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Government of Jamaica.

It was originally scheduled to run from April 2013 to June 2016, but has since been extended to August 2018.

So far under the project, a labour market study has been completed; training needs assessment for providers and organisations completed; and some 500 people with disabilities have been enrolled in a skills training programme, with 66 persons employed since participating.

In addition, an institutional review of the ESP has been concluded, assistive aids have been provided to 69 children with disabilities on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education, and a curriculum for the Parenting Intervention Programme has been developed.

— JIS

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/gov-8217-t-strengthening-delivery-of-services-to-people-with-disabilities_125818?profile=1373

Labour and Social Security Minister Shahine Robinson on Tuesday opened the long-awaited debate on the Occupational Safety and Health bill in the House of Representatives.

When passed into law, it will have far reaching and consequential effects on how the workplace is operated, including how workers are employed, treated and terminated.

The bill, which is 10 years in the making and which spans both administrations and at least four Ministers of Labour, seeks to, among other things, expand the definition of the term ‘worker’.

Robinson, in explained the rationale behind the move, said “… some employers in an effort to avoid the obligations which emanate from the employment relationship seek to reclassify an arrangement which is substantively that of an employer and employee to that of an employer and independent contractor or an ambiguous derivative.”

Robinson said such an arrangement “effectively casts the employed person outside the scope of existing labour legislation.”

Trade unions have long been pointing to a growing trend in both the public and private sector where an ever increasing number of Jamaican workers are being employed on contract. Some workers, having been terminated from their jobs, are reemployed on contract. This effectively limits the obligation of the employer to the employee.

In the meantime, the Labour Relations and Industrial Disputes Act will be amended to ensure it remains relevant. The Labour Minister said the amendment will give the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) the “jurisdiction to hear complaints arising from under the Occupational safety and Health bill when enacted.”

To this end, a division of the tribunal to be known as the Occupational Safety and Health division will be created.

Source: http://www.loopjamaica.com/content/debate-begins-long-awaited-occupational-safety-and-health-bill

Debate on the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Bill started in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (February 13).

The legislation addresses safety and health in the Jamaican workplace within a framework that balances the competing interests of employers and workers.

Opening the debate, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson, noted that the Bill is in support of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Decent Work Agenda, which recognizes the rights of workers to do productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.

“I am sure this House will agree with me that for work to qualify as ‘decent’, it must be carried out safely. Indeed, if we are to develop as a nation, we must be committed to having safe workplaces for both employers and employees,” Mrs. Robinson said.

Consistent with ILO Convention 155, the Occupational Safety and Health legislation will apply to persons in all areas of economic activity, including the public and private sectors, as well as the formal and informal economies.

“Against this background, the Bill advances an expanded definition of ‘worker,’ which is in contrast to the narrow use of the term ‘employee’ and indeed ‘worker’ as appear interchangeably in our existing labour laws,” Mrs. Robinson noted.

She pointed out that some employers, in an effort to avoid the obligations that emanate from the employment relationship, seek to reclassify an arrangement, which is substantively that of ‘employer and employee’, to that of an ‘employer and independent contractor’ or other ambiguous derivative.

“This effectively casts the employed person outside the scope of existing labour,” she argued.

As such, under the Bill, a worker is defined as a person, who carries out work in any capacity for a person conducting a business or undertaking, including work as: an employee; a contractor or subcontractor; an employee of a contractor or subcontractor; and a person whose service is procured or arranged by a company, which is in the business of supplying workers for other businesses, and who has been assigned to work in the person’s business or undertaking.

The Bill also introduces a new concept of a ‘person conducting a business or undertaking’ (PCBU), who is the principal duty bearer in the regulatory framework.

“This allows for the imposition of duty on all persons, who by their conduct, may cause, or contribute in some way, to the risks, safety and health of any person from the conduct of the business or undertaking. Further, it focuses the duty of care on the undertaking of work and activities that contribute to the carrying out of work, and is not limited to the workplace,” Mrs. Robinson outlined.

The Bill requires a PCBU to notify the Director of Occupational Safety and Health immediately after becoming aware of the occurrence of a notifiable incident such as the death of a person, a serious injury or illness of a person, or a dangerous incident.

It also makes provision for the involvement of workers in the decision-making process in relation to their ability to carry out work safely.

The Bill also treats with the issue of discrimination in respect of occupational safety and health outcomes.

“Essentially, the provision prohibits a PCBU from engaging in discriminatory conduct as well as requesting, instructing, inducing, encouraging, authorizing or assisting with discriminatory conduct for a prohibited reason,” Mrs. Robinson said.

Prohibited reasons attributable to discriminatory conduct include the following: that the worker is or has been pregnant; or is perceived to be living with or affected by HIV or AIDS; or is afflicted with any other life threatening illness.

The Bill further establishes a Department of Occupational Safety and Health within the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Mrs. Robinson said the Bill will be beneficial to businesses and undertakings, as a re-orientation towards safety and health, and will minimize if not eliminate the indirect costs of safety and health incidents.

These include compensation for injuries, replacement of workers, scheduling delays, loss of productivity and absenteeism on account of illness and injury.

Debate on the Bill will continue in the Lower House.

Source: http://jis.gov.jm/debate-occupational-safety-health-bill-gets-underway/