Charles Jr reaffirms Jamaica’s commitment to social justice, decent work for all at ILO conference

GENEVA, Switzerland – Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles Jr, has reaffirmed Jamaica’s commitment to social justice and decent work for all.

Charles Jr was delivering his statement to the 111th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday.

The minister reaffirmed Jamaica’s commitment to enacting legislation that safeguards the safety and health of all workers, noting that “a safe and healthy working environment is not a privilege, but an entitlement for all workers”.

Emphasising that the issue of social justice is critical, Charles Jr noted that, “in Jamaica, the advancement of social justice and the decent work agenda are at the core of our policies and programmes.”

He pointed to Jamaica’s Social Justice (So-JUST) Programme, which was launched in January 2023, noting that the programme is geared towards strengthening inclusive governance, the rule of law and access to justice with special focus on vulnerable communities and “at-risk” groups.

During his address, he also noted a recorded 9.4 per cent increase in employment in July 2022 as compared to October 2020 despite the challenges associated with COVID-19.

“Unemployment in Jamaica is now at an all time low of 6.6 per cent and the national minimum wage was increased not once but twice since April 2022 amounting to an 86 per cent increase, the largest increase in the last 20 years,” Charles Jr said.

“Post COVID-19 we now contend with the challenges of an evolving labour market and in particular, the new phenomenon of platform workers and how to safeguard their labour rights and protection,” he continued.

Pointing to the need to prepare Jamaica for the future world of work, Charles Jr noted the recent waiver of fees for students to access training up to the equivalent of an associate degree at HEART /NSTA Trust and highlighted the government’s support of the establishment of the first training institution for domestic workers.

“Jamaica, the land of wood and water, remains committed to maintaining the principles of social justice and decent work for all groups. We believe that through collaboration and collective action, we can create a better and more equitable world of work,” he said.

Meanwhile, the labour minister also called on the ILO to recognise the vulnerabilities of small island developing states and its responsibility to enhance the collective action towards decent work, social justice and just transition as “we leave no one behind”.