Contract work against labour gains, says trade unionist

WESTERN BUREAU:

Assistant General Secretary of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) Collin Virgo has lashed out against the now common practice of hiring persons in various industries as contract labourers, arguing that the Government and Jamaicans in general have to be careful that they do not sit idly by and allow hard-fought for gains in the labour market to be lost.

“Hard-fought for gains, that we take for granted now, if we sit idly by we will allow those hard fought for gains to be lost,” he emphasised.

Virgo pointed to the right to vote and the struggle that occurred over the years to gain universal adult suffrage while arguing that persons need to take part in the election process, a right that was fought for by the grandparents of the nation.

“So these things that our generations before, led by Sir Alexander Bustamante, fought for, do not take them for granted,” he argued.

NEEDS TO STOP

He was delivering the main address at a floral tribute ceremony, held in Blenheim, Hanover, to commemorate the 138th Anniversary of the birth of Sir Alexander Bustamante, National Hero, on Thursday, February 24, 2022.

Turning his attention to the workplace, the union executive pointed to the issue of union representation in the workplace, also paid vacation and retroactive payments, among other benefits, as benefits that have been acquired over the years because of the struggle of generations before.

With respect to the issue of contract work, Virgo was very emphatic that it is not helping the labour force and needs to stop.

“One single thing that is sitting here in Jamaica right now that I am calling again on the Government to address, and to address quickly, is this foolishness about contract work because it is being used for the last two and one half decades by employers to abuse the rights that Sir Alexander Bustamante fought for, for the Jamaican worker,” he stated angrily, emphasising that “it must stop”.

He outlined that Jamaica is a signatory to the International Labour Organization convention on decent work, adding that a part of that convention is that contract work is limited to three conditions; seasonal work, supplemental work and for fixed-term projects.

He said that even in government, if there is contract work taking place, then it is also wrong, and persons employed on that basis ought to be compensated properly.

He argued that one of the most significant gains that Sir Alexander Bustamante fought for, for Jamaican workers, is the setting up and starting the general trade union and worker union movement, which demands respects for the sanctity of the worker.

He pointed out that the same rules and principles of natural justice that apply to the most depraved criminals in the island are the same that apply to the Jamaican worker.

“These are the same lawyers who every day go to court and do the job that they are obligated to do in defending those same criminals, and many times get them off, so how dare you get up and talk about labour laws biased to the Jamaican workers when every single item in the labour laws abides by the very same rules of natural justice and due process that is afforded to the wickedest and vilest of criminals in this country,” he argued.

Virgo pleaded with workers across the island to be protective of their hard-earned rights and to not take anything for granted.