Ministry addresses new US labour laws

Published: Tuesday | May 19, 2009


Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles met with 78 private recruitment agencies on Thursday. The agenda was to inform them of recent amendments to the Regulations of the United States Departments of Labor and Homeland Security to guide the placement of overseas workers recruited privately.

The US Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security has published new rules and emphasised existing ones that will regulate the administration of temporary employment of H-2B workers in the US.

H-2B workers are temporary non-agricultural workers.

Under the regulations, recruiters are not to pass on expenses to participants. Instead, the employers should absorb the cost of recruiting and obtaining these workers.

Market has changed

At the meeting, held at the office of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Charles also pointed out that the job market overseas had changed, and that Jamaicans would have to be proactive in order to maintain competitiveness. He insisted that if recruiters failed to observe the US regulations, licences issued by the ministry would be revoked.

A committee, comprising representatives of the recruiting agencies, and ministry officials, have been set up to formulate plans to ensure full compliance with the revised regulations. Six weeks ago, the ministry held talks with members of the United States Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security to discuss the new regulations.