Dear Editor,

The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) would like to clarify statements published in the Jamaica Observer article headlined ‘Private sector shuns OSHA committee’ on March 3, 2020.

The article stated that the private sector has not participated in the joint select committee review of the crucial Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and implies that we have not contributed to the review process.

The PSOJ and JMEA seek to advise our membership and the general public that both organisations recognise and appreciate the importance of this Bill and the economic, financial and social impact that it will have on employees and employers alike. As such, during the initial 2019 consultations, members of the leadership teams of both the PSOJ and JMEA participated in the discussions. Our proposed revisions were submitted in writing on February 12, 2019 to the Houses of Parliament and articulated by the organisations’ representatives in an oral presentation to the committee on February 19, 2019.

Communication was received with invitations to the joint select committee meetings in January and February of this year and regrettably, on both occasions, our representatives were unable to attend. Despite our physical absence from these meetings, however, in January 2020 we provided feedback on a specific clause in the Bill, as requested by the committee.

The PSOJ and JMEA would like to reaffirm that we remain committed to representing the interest of our members and to contribute to national development. The organisations will also engage Zavia Mayne, minister of state in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, to continue further dialogue on the OSHA.

Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica

Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association

psojinfo@psoj.org