THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE PROTEST action by the truckers on the Highway 2000 project has far-reaching implications and should be thoroughly investigated. For the contractors, who are foreigners, to get up and dismiss the local truckers and bring in their own, must have taken a lot of guts. There must be strong reasons for them to do so. A serious journalist needs to investigate this so that the nation can know the truth.
The Jamaican worker needs to know that in today's world of globalisation he can be displaced by more efficient workers even in his own country. He needs to know that he must become productive in order to survive. It is worker productivity, among other things, that makes the foreign made goods affordable and of high quality. One of the worst enemies of productivity is theft. If the employees are stealing the product and the raw materials, then the producers will lose and will have to spend much more on security workers and devices that are non-productive. Some of this money could have gone to the workers themselves.
We need to know the real story behind the truckers' problem because if it is swept under the carpet it may spell doom for the Jamaican worker in the long run. The gate is now opened for foreign investors and contractors to automatically bring in their own workers without regard for the Jamaican worker.
This is why this issue needs to be thoroughly investigated before it is too late. The signal is far too strong to be ignored. We need to know whether or not the contractors were justified in firing the local truckers and bringing in their own.
One final remark, there are Jamaican workers who in the past, because of their good work ethics, have travelled the world working with foreign contractors. The present-day workers need to see the opportunities that projects like Highway 2000 offer and seize them. They too can travel the world with these contractors and earn good money. They can only do this if they work impressively and efficiently.
I am, etc.,
EARLE HARRISON
earle_harrison@hotmail.com
Box 535
Mandeville P.O.
Via Go-Jamaica
