COMING fast on the heels of the recently held International Monetary Fund seminar dubbed “Women, Work and the Jamaican Economy”, the Government in their announcement carried by the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 named an 18-member Labour Reform Commission.

The seminar, which took place September 30, 2014, set the tone of a critical conversation that saw the Government affirming commitment to employment and macroeconomic policies and economic regulations that are inclusive and equitable.

So you can imagine the distress felt that a commission that has been convened to look at several issues — among them education and training, productivity, technology and innovation, labour policies and legislation, social protection and industrial relations — is comprised of only one woman.

Mrs Brenda Cuthbert was named to the body and it would appear that she was named to represent the Jamaica Employers’ Federation.

Some Government entities, youth and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica are to name representatives, but the questions are, who speaks to:

* the 45.3 per cent of the labour force that is female?

* the reality of persistent occupational and glass ceiling segregation in the labour force which has such negative and deep consequences for women and men in the whole economy and society?

* the persistent gender wage gap?

* the need for the valuing (use and exchange) of women’s work, and furthermore addressing care economy concerns?

* the over 50,000 household workers who have been ignored by the trade union movement over the years and who are still awaiting the fulfilment of promise for the decent work convention to be ratified?

Recall that most of these issues were raised in Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller’s presentation at the seminar, and we are told that, on October 6, the Cabinet signed off on the Commission’s members. Therefore, was the affirmation of commitment to gender equity mere talk, or is it a case that there is no common agreement at the level of Cabinet on the mandate of the National Policy on Gender Equality, which the Government has adopted?

Can we expect this Commission, with these wonderful gentlemen, to champion women’s gender interests? Are they able to bring approaches that are fundamental to promoting growth with equity in the economy and society?

We await a reply.

The above was contributed by ther 51% Coalition. Comments: 51percentcoalitionjm@gmail.com