Dear Editor,

For a while now I have watched the public sector become the Opposition party to every Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government since Bruce Golding broke the People’s National Party’s (PNP) almost 20-year hold on power.

Certain groups in the public sector have wilfully obstructed the Government’s agenda every chance they get.

Chief amongst the ‘Opposition-in-residence’, as I call them, are the Jamaica Teachers’ Association and the Police Federation. Those two groups are the ones that take the lead every chance they get to harass the Government, especially when wage negotiations are ongoing. The other groups usually take their cue from these two.

Many people have wondered why the public sector groups behave like they do. Well, the answer is clear if one chooses to look. Look at the number of public sector group heads that sits on government boards when the PNP is in power, and look at the number of them that either hold official positions within the PNP or are running as Members of Parliament; the latest one being Shane Alexis, former president of the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association.

Jamaica has a productivity problem, and one of the reasons for that is the public sector unions. They are aligned so much to one side of the political spectrum that they lose sight of the national good and place added burden on any JLP Government so much so it negatively impacts the way the Government goes about its business.

One of the reasons the Bruce Golding-led Administration collapsed was the way the public sector unions seemingly united to destroy the economic programme the JLP was pursuing by making all sorts of demands. As usual, the PNP was ecstatic, but the economic fortunes of the country were derailed. Dr Peter Phillips and the PNP brought in a more austere programme and they did not object to it. All of a sudden they all found their patriotic spirit.

One cannot but condemn this blatant partisanship coming from the public sector unions. It’s disgusting! It’s just wrong.

The public sector unions behave in a way akin to extortionist and highway robbers, sticking up the Government every chance they get. Then they hold the country to ransom until they get what they want.

Maybe the greatest obstacle to growth in this country are the trade unions. They do not share the vision of moving Jamaica forward. All they are concerned with is how they can take more out of a shrinking pie.

Unless the Jamaican Government can overhaul the public sector and systematically reduce the influence and protection in law that they currently enjoy, we will never see the sort of growth and development this country so desperately needs.

Fabian Lewis

tyronelewis272@gmail.com