THE EDITOR, Sir;THE MEMORANDUM of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Jamaica and the trade unions can be a major breakthrough achievement for the Government if it is managed properly.
In order to get the maximum benefit from this MoU, the Government needs to identify a key person within the Planning Institute to be the gatekeeper of this Understanding. Some of the key functions of this person are to be as follows:
Identify and highlight the linkages and the contradictions between the PSOJ's proposal to the Government and the MoU. These must be discussed with the relevant parties and both documents must be merged.
Go through the budget prepared by the Finance Ministry and identify conflicts between the merged (MoU & PSOJ) documents and the Budget. A strategy to deal with these conflicts must be worked out before the Budget is tabled in Parliament. This exercise will help to maintain the integrity of the Memorandum of Understanding.
This person can be used as a resource person by the Government, the PSOJ and the unions so that any future policy directives taken by any of these bodies will be done without affecting the integrity of the Agreement. 4) Chair the meeting set up by the parties to monitor the MoU.
I am aware of the mechanism set up by the Government and the trade unions to monitor this agreement, but without single-point accountability, this understanding will disintegrate in a useless document resulting in mistrust, confusion leading us back to square one!
I am, etc.,
CARLTON FEARON
fearon@cybervale.com
31 Santiago Square,
Hellshire, St. Catherine
Via Go-Jamaica
