Jamaica: Unions engage government officials on ILO Convention 190
The event showcased a group of special guests comprised of National Senator Kavan Gayle, Sharon Coburn Robinson from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions President Helene Davis Whyte and BWI Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Representative Nilton Freitas.
A total of 100 participants from different Jamaican trade union confederations and federations, BITU national affiliates and non-government organisations also attended the gathering.
The forum centred on an investigative paper prepared and presented by Dr. Dalea Bean, Lecturer/Graduate Coordinator at the Institute for Gender & Development Studies, Regional Coordinating Office, University of the West Indies, Jamaica.
The said paper, which was jointly commissioned by BITU and BWI, assessed the readiness of Jamaica in ratifying the ILO convention. It also discussed the policy benefits of the convention, saying that it will cover the existing gaps of the country’s laws on gender inequality and encourage local legislation.
The unions and government representatives present in the forum all agreed to continue to talk to one another and explore possible cooperation in pushing for the ratification of the ILO convention.
BWI congratulated BITU for its “excellent initiative” that gathered trade unions, government institutions and civil society groups on the issue of gender-based violence and the need to ratify the ILO convention.
“We will continue to support BITU’s efforts to promote gender equality and its aspiration for Jamaica to become the first Caribbean country to ratify ILO Convention 190,” Freitas said.