Helene Davis-Whyte (born 1956) is a Jamaican trade union activist and the general secretary of the

Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers The Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO) is a 5,000-member public sector trade union in Jamaica which represents workers in local and national government, governmental corporations, quasi-government bodies and other agencies cre ...

(JALGO), which represents 5,000 workers in local and national government and quasi-government agencies in Jamaica. She is also a vice-president of the

Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions The Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) is a national trade union center in Jamaica. It is affiliated to the International Trade Union Confederation. Origins The JCTU emerged from the ''Joint Trade Unions Research Development Centre'' ( ...

Early life

Helene Davis was one of four children. Her father was a businessman, and she says her childhood was a prosperous and happy one. She attended Queens High School in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

. But while in her Sixth form, her father's business began to fail. She dropped out of school to go to work and support the family. "Sometimes I left home without breakfast; I never had the lunch money and when I got home, I was not sure that I would see dinner," she has said.Rose, "Helene Davis-Whyte – Enjoying the Union," ''Jamaica Gleaner,'' 7 August 2007. She had her first child at the age of 19. Although unmarried, she moved in with a sister (who was also a single parent) to make ends meet. In 1995 she married Frederick Whyte, a former commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, and had a second child.

Union career

In the early 1980s Davis-Whyte worked at the

Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation The Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation (KSAC) is a unit of local government in Jamaica. It was formed in 1923 when the parishes of Saint Andrew and Kingston were administratively merged. It is divided into 15 Political Constituencies, which ar ...

. "I was probably one of the most anti-union persons" working in local government, she admitted. But when a new mayor promised to lay off members of her department, she and other workers decided to ask for JALGO's assistance. During a meeting with then-general secretary E. Lloyd Taylor, Davis-Whyte became the speaker for the group. Her co-workers were so impressed with her representation of their issues that they elected her a delegate to JALGO, and she became increasingly involved in union work. Davis-Whyte was elected vice-president of JALGO's Municipal Branch, and in 1984 was elected the national union's education officer. In 1995, after Taylor's retirement, she was elected general secretary (the union's highest office), and was re-elected in 1998, 2001 and 2004.Bell, "Women in the Trade Union Movement," ''Jamaica Gleaner,'' 18 August 2002. Her nomination was a tumultuous one, and nearly caused a riot on the convention floor. During her tenure as union leader, Davis-Whyte has opposed the flexible work-week for reducing workers' hours, pushed for reorganization of public welfare services, and urged a collaborative approach to policy making in which unions would participate in commissions, boards and advisory bodies in order to alleviate the impact of austerity measures.

Education

Helene Davis-Whyte holds an

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

in business studies and professional certificates in trade union studies and labour economics. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in

human resource management Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

from the University College of the Caribbean (UC

in 2006.McCatty, "200 Graduate From UCC," ''Jamaica Observer,'' 12 June 2005.

Notes

References

*Bell, Klao. "Women in the Trade Union Movement." ''Jamaica Gleaner.'' 18 August 2002. *Jackson Miller, Dionne. "Labor-Jamaica: Mounting Debts Mean A Bleak Outlook." ''Inter Press Service.'' 6 January 2003. *Rose, Dionne. "Helene Davis-Whyte – Enjoying the Union." ''Jamaica Gleaner.'' 7 August 2007. *McCatty, Kerry. "200 Graduate From UCC." ''Jamaica Observer.'' 12 June 2005. *"Poor Relief Depts' Reorganisation Delayed." ''Jamaica Gleaner.'' 21 March 2000. *"Unions Boycott Meeting." ''Jamaica Gleaner.'' 14 August 2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis-Whyte, Helene Jamaican trade unionists 1956 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people)