Jamaica Gleaner

Fixed-term contracts have been weaponised, says trade unionist

- Christophe­r Serju/Senior Gleaner Writer christophe­r.serju@gleanerjm.com

VICE-PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Confederat­ion of Trade Unions Rudolph Thomas is warning that the continued misuse of fixedterm contracts by employers will lead to serious consequenc­es for the Jamaican labour force in the future.

He was addressing yesterday’s opening session of the Labour Advisory Council Sub-Committee Focus Group Workshop on ‘Fixed Term Contracts’ at the Spanish Court Hotel, New Kingston, which was also attended by representa­tives from the Jamaica Employers Federation (JEF), Jamaica Civil Service Associatio­n, the Union of Clerical, Administra­tive and Supervisor­y Employees, two employment agencies and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

”If we continue on the trajectory that we are with the misuse of fixedterm contracts, we going to have serious problems down the road,” Thomas told the audience. “We are in no way saying that there isn’t use for fixed-term contracts, because there is a defined space and time for it to be used and you will find historical­ly, up to about 30 going towards 35 years ago, it was used in the space properly. Subsequent to that we have a breaking away to what we now refer to as a misuse and creating of a most precarious form of employment, where it is now being used to erode permanent employment and that has its impact, not only on labour but also, we believe, on the national well-being.”

The senior trade unionist continued: “I am going to use the word weaponised where these contracts are concerned because we have seen where these contracts have been used against workers. Not only does it put them in a bad position but it is used to get them to do things they would not normally do. It’s used in acts of sexual harassment – if you don’t do, you won’t get contracts renewed. It is used in circumstan­ces where a person’s morals would have them not do certain things. If you don’t sign it and make it go through, you contract won’t be renewed. So, in our minds, that is taking it and holding it at the throat of the worker as if it was a weapon.”

In the meantime, Bernita Locke, vice-president of the JEF, pointed out that there was nothing wrong with fixed-term contracts but what was important was observing the guidelines and ensuring that employees and employers are protected. She admitted to having some concerns about workers’ welfare.

“On a personal note, I have a challenge with the way some of these contracts are prepared and managed. When I look at some of the contracts, I realise that, yes, it’s good when you are young but when you get to a certain age cohort, you are at a disadvanta­ge because the whole business of surviving after the world of work becomes very critical.”

ECONOMIC FORCES

Wayne Chen, president of the JEF, called f or a robust interrogat­ion of labour market data to ensure that there is a full understand­ing of what those numbers are saying.

“The fact that employers have misused fixed-term contracts, is it that we are morally corrupt or is it that economic forces are driving us into that direction? We have in Jamaica record low employment, more employment, more jobs, than ever before in our history, but we also have a hard core. Hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans who have opted out of the workforce. What is it saying to us in terms of policy that will drive formality because, without formality, we are not going to foment the critical mass within our organisati­ons to make us competitiv­e,” he pointed out.

“What is it saying about where employment is heading in Jamaica if significan­t numbers of jobs are in sectors that require fixedterm contracts, not least the BPO (business process outsourcin­g) sector that currently employs over 60,000 Jamaicans and growing? So, when we tinker, we have to take all these things into considerat­ion and we need to be mindful of the bigger environmen­t as we proceed.”

 ?? PHOTOS BY IAN ALLEN/PHOTOGRAPH­ER ?? Pearnel Charles Jr (second left), minister of labour and social security, discusses fixed-term contracts with Dr Norman Dunn (left), state minister in the labour ministry; Rudolph Thomas (second left), vice-president, Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and vice-president of the Jamaica Confederat­ion of Trade Unions; and Clifton Grant, vice president, University and Allied Workers Union, during the labour ministry’s Labour Advisory Council Workshop for Fixed Term Contract which was held at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston yesterday.
PHOTOS BY IAN ALLEN/PHOTOGRAPH­ER Pearnel Charles Jr (second left), minister of labour and social security, discusses fixed-term contracts with Dr Norman Dunn (left), state minister in the labour ministry; Rudolph Thomas (second left), vice-president, Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and vice-president of the Jamaica Confederat­ion of Trade Unions; and Clifton Grant, vice president, University and Allied Workers Union, during the labour ministry’s Labour Advisory Council Workshop for Fixed Term Contract which was held at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston yesterday.
 ?? ?? Rudolph Thomas, vice-president of the Jamaica Confederat­ion of Trade Unions.
Rudolph Thomas, vice-president of the Jamaica Confederat­ion of Trade Unions.

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