Jamaican trade unionist wants unions involvement

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada, Nov 9 (CMC) - President of the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA), Wayne Jones, has challenged regional governments to make public sector unions an integral part of the governance of their respective countries. Addressing public workers here this week during the observance of the 75th anniversary of the Public Workers Union (PWU), Jones noted that both the government and the private sector seem to perceive public sector unions "as a small player rather than a major influence". According to Jones, one clear example is the staging of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the Caribbean. He asked how many public sector unions were part of the organising and staging of the event. Jones said some union leaders were yet to be briefed as to the role their workers will play. "In approximately five months' time the region will host the historic Cricket World Cup 2007. Now the question is how many of us are aware of the implications of this mega event for our region?," he asked. "Where is the dialogue between the public sector workers and the local organising committees," he quizzed. Jones said the Sunset Legislation, in most cases, would be administered by public officers and they were being left out. "It is the public sector workers who'll have to enforce the recently passed Sunset Legislation. It is the immigration officers, the custom officers and the police officers who'll have to man our borders and the various ports of entry," Jones said. "Where is the dialogue with them - do they know what it is we're trying to achieve"? The Jamaican trade unionist noted that South Africa which hosted the last World Cup in 2003 had 10,000 lawsuits as a result of the Sunset Legislation. According to Jones, the legislation impacted on several of the fundamental rights of the citizens of that country.