The Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO) is urging the Government of Jamaica as well as Governments across the region to move with all alacrity to ratify ILO Convention 190, paving the way for world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment.
July 21, 2020 now marks one year since the adoption of ILO Convention No. 190 and Recommendation 206. Convention No. 190 is the first international treaty to address violence and harassment in the world of work and what is calls for is an end to this type of behavior. Complimented by Recommendation 206 , we note the important role it will play in the elimination of gender based violence and other unacceptable behaviours not only in the workplace but in society by extension.
The Convention covers both the public and private sectors and also covers various forms of employment in the formal and informal sectors. We believe that this ratification is important to Jamaica’s development and we also believe that this will go a far way in fulfilling the tenets of Goal 8 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ratification of Convention No. 190 sends a strong message that workers rights are important and that violence and harassment in the world of work cannot be tolerated and ensures no one is left behind.
While we focus on the challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, we still remain resolute and committed to ensuring that workers rights are protected. Women’s Chair for JALGO, Caron Bernal Rose, notes that while JALGO has long been doing the work so that workers are protected but this convention, when entered into force, will provide for greater protection for women as they go about their work.
We therefore again call on nations across the Caribbean to work to ratify this convention so that we can we can have a safe and secure world of work.
