KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) has signed a Statement of Intent with the Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica (HRMAJ), formalising a collaborative working partnership with the association.

The agreement was signed by Portfolio Minister, Pearnel Charles Jr, Acting Permanent Secretary in the MLSS, Dione Jennings, and the leadership of the association, during the opening ceremony of the HRMAJ’s 45th Annual Conference, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston, on Wednesday.

Charles Jr noted that the agreement expresses the ministry’s “intent to continue dialogue and cooperation” and is the first step in “forging and crystallising the partnership” with the HRMAJ.

“There is no doubt of the inextricable connection between what this association is seeking to achieve and what my ministry has as a mandate. So, we have shared goals… we have mutual obligations,” the minister affirmed, as he delivered remarks at the HRMAJ conference.

He underscored the ministry’s commitment to continued collaboration with the association in the interest of Jamaica’s workforce.

“The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, we recognise the strategic value of partnership with you. We are going to continue to establish the policy frameworks and the regulatory standards while you work on equipping the organisations with professionals and with the knowledge and the tools to implement those standards effectively,” Charles Jr said.

He emphasised that the partnership between the ministry and the association needs to be more than just “the signing of a piece of paper” but allow the HRMAJ to be a part of the national mandate to make Jamaica’s workforce more competitive.

The minister said that the imperative for closer collaboration has never been clearer, as the world of work is undergoing fundamental transformation that requires workforces to be more flexible.

 In his remarks, HRMAJ Vice President, Michael McAnuff-Jones, noted that the signing represents a historic moment for the association on its journey to become the custodians of the HR profession in Jamaica, as it will move HRMAJ towards the regulation of the profession.

“Jamaica will have signal honour of being the first country in the Caribbean, joining other jurisdictions such as Canada and South Africa and places in Europe, where the profession is elevated to the place of regulatory support. It will involve a bit of self-regulation and at the centre of it is going to be a revised code of ethics that is modelled on the United Kingdom (UK),” McAnuff-Jones shared.

He thanked the minister and the permanent secretary for their support of the association and its work to advance the HR profession.

— JIS