UWI panel: Gov'ts need to revise labour laws for covid19 crisis

The survival of businesses and jobs during the covid19 crisis and its existence thereafter depends on co-operation between government, employers and employees.

At a panel discussion held by the UWI Open Campus and Consular Corps of Jamaica on Tuesday the closure of businesses, loss of jobs and loss of income across the Caribbean were addressed.

Donald Roberts, head of the Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Institute, said the pandemic has exposed the challenges within the labour sector in the region.

He said, “There is need to make policy changes to the labour laws across the Caribbean that are of international standards and in compliance with the International Labour Organisation.”

He noted that while governments in the region made short-term provisions for workers and businesses who stand to lose revenue and finances, there are things that are being overlooked during the crisis.

Roberts said governments believed that a crisis sometimes justified expedient laws and policies in certain areas.

But, he said, “Governments have a responsibility to ensure that the core principles of decent work are maintained.

“We have to ensure that there are key provisions in place relating to safety and health standards, working arrangements, protection of specific category of workers, non-discrimination of workers, social security and employment protection.

"The role of the State is to ensure that the weak are not taken advantage of, exploited or abused. This approach must be human-centred for a successful labour force.”

Regional director of labour relations Carol-Anne Harris Roper urged employees to consult their respective labour laws to ensure their needs are met during the pandemic, since it has been an unforeseen emerging circumstance.

She said, “In all the jurisdictions there are provisions that speak to sick leave, certified sick leave in respect of an illness, time off and provisions for the negotiation of the terms of employment.

“Keep as best as possible a relationship within the four walls of the legal structures, so that we can move forward in a way that can continue to create good employment relationships for the benefit of the countries.”

Other speakers included Jamaica’s former attorney general and current director at UWI’s Mona Law Institutes Unit Dr Christopher Malcolm and attorney Stephanie Ewbank.