Wavell Hinds calls for urgent labour reform, says Jamaican workers are being left unprotected

Opposition Spokesperson on Labour and Sport, Wavell Hinds, MP, has called for sweeping labour reform in Jamaica, warning that thousands of workers remain exposed to exploitation, unsafe conditions, and economic insecurity due to years of government inaction.

Making his contribution to the 2026 Sectoral Debate in Parliament, Hinds said the country’s labour framework is fractured and outdated, with critical protections continuously delayed while vulnerable workers are forced to navigate increasingly unstable economic realities.

Hinds sharply criticised the prolonged delay in passing the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), arguing that the legislation has remained stalled for far too long while Jamaican workers continue operating in unsafe environments, particularly within the growing construction sector. “Three terms of ‘soon come’ policy is not governance. It is a failure,” Hinds said. “Workers continue to risk their lives daily without the modern legislative protections they deserve.”

He also raised concern about the removal of the specialised minimum wage structure for private security guards, arguing that the move effectively eliminated hazard-based wage recognition for workers who face some of the highest occupational risks in the country. “These are men and women who protect our schools, our banks, our businesses, and our communities every single day, yet the system has flattened their wages and ignored the dangers they face,” Hinds stated.

The Opposition Spokesperson further highlighted the growing use of unregulated contract labour arrangements affecting carrier workers, while noting that small farmers and fisherfolk remain outside the National Insurance Scheme despite their critical contribution to Jamaica’s economy and food security.

According to Hinds, Jamaica’s labour management systems are also deeply fragmented, with workforce development, industrial relations, skills training, and employment coordination scattered across multiple ministries and agencies without proper integration.

He proposed the establishment of a consolidated Ministry of Labour and Workforce Development capable of centralising training, certification, worker protection, dispute resolution, and workforce planning under a single structure. Among the reforms outlined were expanded rural digital literacy programmes, stronger enforcement mechanisms against workplace exploitation, pension and insurance protections for security guards, and a national labour-market strategy driven by real-time economic and workforce data.

Hinds argued that Jamaica’s economic future cannot be built on low wages, weak protections, and poorly coordinated workforce planning. “Workers’ rights without enforcement are meaningless,” he said. “If we are serious about national development, then labour policy must become a tool for dignity, productivity, social mobility, and economic transformation.”

He maintained that Jamaica’s workforce must be treated as a national asset rather than an afterthought. “The Jamaican worker deserves more than speeches and promises. They deserve protection, opportunity, fairness, and a Government willing to build systems that allow working people to advance,” Hinds added.