RESPECTED business executive Douglas Orane will not assume the position of chairman of the 18-member Labour Market Reform Commission (LMRC), which will review existing labour reform policies and programmes.

The Jamaica Observer was told that Orane, the former chairman and chief executive officer of GraceKennedy Group, informed the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) that he is unable to take up the post due to other commitments.

A release from the ministry last week said that Orane “having been proposed as the first chairman of the recently announced Labour Market Reform Commission is unable to take up this appointment at this time”.

“He was strongly recommended for the position by a wide cross-section of tri-partite stakeholders. The release in the public domain of information surrounding this matter was premature. The error is regretted,” the ministry said.

The MLSS release noted that Orane was considered on the basis that he has “served with distinction on a number of boards and commissions in the past, and has contributed considerably in an advisory capacity to policy formulation for the restructuring of the public service and the role of government”. The ministry said that a new chairman of the commission will be announced, shortly.

However, reports in the press on the appointment were obtained from Ministry Paper number 138, which was tabled in Parliament in late October, and which stated that the Cabinet approved the appointment of the commission at its meeting on October 6.

Since the publication, however, a number of the individuals named in the Ministry Paper, which was issued by the Cabinet Office, have also indicated that they were unaware of being confirmed as members of the commission.

The appointment of a commission was highlighted in this year’s sectoral debate presentation by Labour and Social Security Minister Derrick Kellier.

Kellier told the House of Representatives then that the commission would be tasked with conducting consultations with relevant stakeholders relating to education and training, technology and innovation, labour policies and legislation, social protection, industrial relations and productivity.

“The major findings and recommendations from these consultations will be used for further legislative amendments, and to generate policies and programmes to be implemented by the relevant ministries, departments and agencies,” he said.

He stated that the ministry had already done a considerable amount of in-house work addressing the “mismatch” between training and employment. The process includes the revamping of its Electronic Labour Exchange platform and the facility to match high-skilled and professional job-seekers with prospective employers, via the Jamaica Employ programme which is designed to impact the level of unemployment among members of the professional class.

“What we have done in effect is to bring these labour market platforms to the level where their proper use by employers can boost considerably, job creation in Jamaica, on the road to building a better and more productive nation,” Kellier explained.

He also pointed out that the proposal to introduce an unemployment insurance scheme in Jamaica would be part of the larger thrust to reform the labour market.