MINISTER OF Labour and Social Security Horace Dalley has said that a joint committee of parliament is to be established to debate flexi-time arrangements to afford all interested parties a final opportunity to put their case before lawmakers.
This brings the discussion to another phase, as the issue of flexi-time arrangements has been on the agenda of the ministry for some time.
The minister also indicated that there was a need to keep abreast of the rapid changes and fluctuating demands of the world economy.
The disclosure was made in the minister's presentation, which public relations manager at the ministry, Debbie Tyson, read on his behalf at a recent three-day National Tripartite Meeting with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on 'Flexibility in Working Time', held at the Courtleigh Hotel, in New Kingston, said a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) news release.
WORHTWHILE CONTRIBUTIONS
Ms. Tyson said that the ministry was encouraged by the debate on the issue of flexi-time and had benefited from the worthwhile contributions from social partners such as trade unions, the employers' federation, the churches and other groups.
"Depite the fact that we are unable to arrive at a consensus so far, we are obliged to push the process forward, much more rapidly than before, in order to come to some final determination," she said.
The public relations manager further explained that amendments to several laws and regulations would have to be made to accommodate flexible working arrangements, including the Town and Communities Act, Shops and Offices Act, National Minimum Wage Order, Women Employment Act and the Holidays with Pay Order.
EXISTING RIGHTS WILL
NOT BE ALTERED
"Any flexi-time arrangements will not alter the existing rights guaranteed to workers under the law. It is not an attempt to try and deprive workers of their rights to earn overtime pay in excess of the 40-hour workweek. Nor is it an attempt to deny them access to benefits like group life insurance, vacation allowance, sick leave or other negotiated agreements," Ms. Tyson stressed.
She assured that the Ministry would also be setting up a monitoring and implementation unit to assist with and ensure compliance with agreements concluded under the flexi-work arrangements within the various sectors.
WOLRD MARKET
Through the flexi-time arrangements and the global changes, the public relations manager also noted that the ministry would endeavour to ensure that local manufacturers and service industries could penetrate the world market and not be restricted by time differences.
"We must have the ability to respond quickly and at low cost to the fluctuating demands from customers in different parts of the world," Ms. Tyson pointed out.
The tripartite meeting was organised on short notice to examine the issue of flexibility in working time and to galvanise the drive to complete the legislative process to bring into effect flexi-time arrangements, along with the necessary changes to be made to the accompanying pieces of labour laws.
STUDY
A study on 'Working-Time and Working Organisation in Jamaica' undertaken by Dr. Orville Taylor on behalf of the ILO, was also up for discussion, in light of the fact that the study indicated that the ministry would have to alter many of the terms and conditions of existing contracts of employment if flexible working time arrangements were to be implemented.
"According to the study, it may necessitate a termination of employment, through redundancies, which would remove the worker from provisions contained in the collective labour agreement, and in effect, leave the workers un-unionised. This is a fear, I am sure, the unions would have and a matter to which we must give some attention and consideration," Ms. Tyson said.
