THE Jamaica Exporters Association (JEA) will become the first trade organisation to consolidate its operations under the umbrella of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) when it moves into the Hope Road, St. Andrew, headquarters of the island's largest business lobby within the next month.PSOJ President Oliver Clarke said renovation was currently taking place to accommodate the JEA, which is now housed at Dominica Drive in New Kingston.
He was speaking on Wednesday at a press briefing at PSOJ headquarters. Mr. Clarke also announced that the organisation has signed memoranda of understanding with a number of other trade associations "with a view to working out how we can best consolidate the operations under one administration".
As part of the consolidation process, it has been proposed that the PSOJ's current executive director, Greta Bogues, will oversee the merger.
Mr. Clarke noted that consolidation of the island's major trade organisations was partly informed by the reality that many members of the business community, who were themselves members of a variety of different trade associations, had found it difficult to continue to pay subscriptions.
Among the other organisations expected to consolidate with the PSOJ are: the Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA), the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) and the Jamaica Bankers Association (JBA).
Referring to the merged operations under one administration, Mr. Clarke said "the details of how that will be done, whilst continuing to represent their individual interests, is now going on".
He said that "because of the difficulties that have arisen, we don't think that it's practical in the future that all these different organisations can continue to run individual administrations effectively".
