Charles to pursue policy to have skilled construction workers certified
MINISTER of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, says that his ministry will pursue a policy to have skilled construction workers certified in order to qualify for employment locally, as well as in the ministry’s overseas programmes.
Obviously still perturbed by the failure of several Jamaicans to qualify for Canadian construction jobs recently due to lack of certification and literacy, Charles said that he was concerned about the large number of untrained and illiterate workers and was determined that his ministry must set standards in this area.
“Very shortly, we intend to announce that we want all workers in the construction industry to be certifified, and I am advising the employers that they must have their workers certified,” the minister said.
He was speaking Wednesday at the first meeting of the Labour Advisory Council (LAC), in several months. The LAC is a tripartite advisory body including representatives of the ministry, the Jamaica Employers’ Federation (JEF), and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU). It is chaired by the minister.
Charles told the Observer after the meeting that he had received the support of the employers and the unions in this effort, and that the HEART/NTA was ready to deal with the issue of certification.
The LAC discussed a number of old issues, including labour legislation and the appointment of a board for the Jamaica Productivity Centre, as well as some new ones.
Chief among the new ones were the questions of education, training and retraining of Jamaican workers; inclusion of the HEART/NTA under the Ministry; and the impact of the proposed Caricom Single Market and Economy(CSME) on Jamaican workers.
Among those attending the meeting were Minister of State, Andrew Gallimore; Permanent Secretary, Alvin MacIntosh; adviser to the minister, Clifton Stone; president of JEF, Jacqueline Coke-LLoyd; and Vincent Morrison and Kavan Gayle of the National Workers Union (NWU) and the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU), respectively.
The LAC will meet again on November 28 at the ministry. A retreat is being planned for January.
