The Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO) is a 5,000-member public sector

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

which represents workers in local and national government, governmental corporations, quasi-government bodies and other agencies created by statute. Its members are non-supervisory personnel and include fire-fighters with the Jamaica Fire Brigade, workers at the

National Water Commission The National Water Commission (NWC) was an independent statutory authority in Australia established by the ''National Water Commission Act 2004'' to implement the National Water Initiative and reform the broader national water agenda. The agency ...

, non-nursing personnel in the health service, non-teachers in the schools, workers at the

National Irrigation Commission The National Irrigation Commission was established in 1986 and became operational in May 1987. The commission obtains its authority from the Irrigation Amendment Act (1999). Its chief role is to provide irrigation services to the agricultural sect ...

and government employees in the 13 Parish Councils."JALGO Working Towards Better Benefits For Workers," ''Jamaica Gleaner,'' November 21, 2000.

History

JALGO was formed in 1940. After a series of labor uprisings,

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

British authorities passed a reform law in December 1938 legalizing trade unionism in Jamaica. The

Bustamante Industrial Trade Union The Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU, also referred to as the Busta Union) is a trade union center in Jamaica established by Sir Alexander Bustamante. The BITU was formed in 1938 and built up a membership of 54,000 within 6 years. It is a ...

(BITU) and the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) both were formed after passage of the trade union law. BITU and TUC quickly elevated the wages of some manual laborers to a point where they were at the same level or even higher than clerical workers in local government. When

white-collar worker A white-collar worker is a person who performs professional, desk, managerial, or administrative work. White-collar work may be performed in an office or other administrative setting. White-collar workers include job paths related to government, ...

s employed by the city of Kingston began demanding wage increases, the colonial government set up a one-man commission to make recommendations. The white-collar workers consulted with

Alexander Bustamante Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante (born William Alexander Clarke; 24 February 1884 – 6 August 1977) was a Jamaican politician and labour leader, who, in 1962, became the first prime minister of Jamaica. Early life and education He was ...

, Noel Nethersole and

Frank Hill Frank Robert Hill (21 May 1906 – 28 August 1993) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager. Playing career Forfar and Aberdeen Hill was born in Forfar and started his career at Forfar Athletic F.C., Forfar Athletic, jo ...

—leaders of the nascent Jamaican labor movement—on what to do. Bustamante and the others recommended the formation of a trade union to empower the workers."A Look At The Early Roots," ''Jamaica Gleaner,'' November 21, 2000. On November 16, 1940, Kingston city workers formed the Municipal Officers Association. Although Bustamante and others had counseled an

industrial union Industrial unionism is a trade union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union, regardless of skill or trade, thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in ...

, membership in the new organization was limited to white-collar workers. Government workers throughout Jamaica flocked to the new union, and parish branches sprung up nationwide. The first general meeting of the union was held in June 1941 and a constitution adopted. The Municipal Officers Association quickly won improved salaries and benefits. Government workers decided that a national organization was needed to coordinate the activities of the parish branches, and the Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO) was formed a short while later. In 1961, E. Lloyd Taylor was elected General Secretary of JALGO. Taylor went into government service in 1945 and immediately joined JALGO. He was elected president of the Kingston parish branch in 1955. Taylor fervently believed in industrial unionism, and quickly joined with other militant elements in the branch to push for expansions in the definition of membership. The JALGO executive council opposed the move, and threatened to dissolve the Kingston branch. But Taylor and his followers prevailed, and in 1961 they succeeded in amending the union constitution to allow weekly paid workers to become members. Taylor was elected General Secretary, but it was not until 1966 more far-reaching changes were made. But by 1970, JALGO membership was open to every government worker regardless of their category or status. Along with the changes in membership came a more liberal and activist outlook for JALGO. In the 1970s, JALGO focused on building its membership, securing expanded worker rights, and improving benefits. Taylor was an active proponent of trade union unity, and he pushed JALGO to play a lead role in forming the

Joint Trade Unions Research Development Centre A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw ...

(JTURDC) in 1980. Talks between Jamaica and the government of

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had led to the establishment of JTURDC, which served four major unions: BITU, the National Workers' Union (NWU), the TUC, and JALGO. The JTURDC later evolved into 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'' ( ...

(JCTU). But the union suffered significant setbacks in the 1980s. JALGO had nearly 15,000 members in 1980. The

Edward Seaga Edward Philip George Seaga ( or ; 28 May 1930 – 28 May 2019) was a Jamaican politician. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party from 1974 to 2005. In the midst of these membership losses, JALGO and other unions on the island were forced to call a

general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...

. As inflation soared to 30 percent, the government offered JALGO a 12 to 15 percent wage increase. JALGO, BITU and other unions representing 250,000 members (roughly 10 percent of the island's population) engaged in a four-day general strike to win higher wages. The strike ended in a stalemate, but significantly weakened the Seaga administration. Then in 1987 the national government proposed nationalizing fire-fighting departments nationwide. The "Fire Brigade Act" passed in October 1988, stripping fire-fighters and fire officers of the right to joint a union. Many members of the Fire Brigade refused to end their JALGO memberships, and in 1990 the act was amended to restore the right to join the union. After 34 years leading the union, Taylor stepped down as General Secretary of JALGO in 1995.

Helene Davis-Whyte Helene Davis-Whyte (born 1956) is a Jamaican trade union activist and the general secretary of the Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO), which represents 5,000 workers in local and national government and quasi-government agenc ...

was elected his successor.

Recent activities

JALGO faced another threat to its existence in 2000. The

Junior Doctors Association Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

, which represented residents and interns in the Jamaican health system, had threatened to

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

. The government obtained an injunction against the association. The association appealed, arguing that it was not a trade union as provided for under the law and subsequently could not be sued. In ''Junior Doctors Association and Attorney General for Jamaica,'' (Suit No. E127/2000, decided July 12, 2000), the Supreme Court of Civil Appeal ruled that the injunction was indeed void for the reasons set forth by the association. In retaliation,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

P. J. Patterson announced the government would no longer negotiate with "non-legal entities." Thousands of public workers represented by organizations other than formal trade unions lost their representation. JALGO was able to avoid the loss of representation because its members were either represented by registered trade unions at the local level, or because federal law specifically recognized JALGO as the collective bargaining agent. JALGO has also struggled recently to maintain its members' wage and benefit gains. The government imposed a wage freeze on public sector unions in February 2004 as part of its effort to rein in inflation. But after prices surged 13 percent in last 10 months of 2004, BITU announced it was pulling out of the "Memorandum of Understanding" (MoU, the government's collective bargaining agreement with public-sector unions). JALGO General-Secretary Davis-Whyte refused to withdraw from the MoU, helping save the agreement and leading to improved relations with the government. In 2006, the Patterson administration announced it was ending a wage freeze implemented in the MoU. Davis-Whyte was named to a trade union body (which included representatives from the

Jamaica Teachers' Association The Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) is a trade union representing education workers in Jamaica. In 1961, the Jamaica Union of Teachers, the Association of Headmasters and Headmistresses, the Association of Teachers in Technical Institutions, t ...

and

Jamaica Civil Service Association The Jamaica Civil Service Association is an association representing the civil servants of Jamaica. History Approval was given by the government of the day to the Public Officers Memorial Committee for the formation of the Jamaica Civil Servic ...

) to negotiate the next MoU. But six months later, JALGO and two other public employee unions were forced to strike the National Water Commission to increase salaries (which averaged 28 percent below market).Brown and Hines, "Water Strike Hits Hard," ''Jamaica Observer,'' June 22, 2006.

Structure

JALGO is governed by its members. The members are organized into parish branches. Members at the parish branch level elect officers of the parish branch as well as delegates, both of which then represent the parish branch on the JALGO national executive council. Members in each governmental agency and occupation also elect delegates to the executive council. The executive council is JALGO's policy-making body. It debates and votes on policy, approves the budget, and engages in other activities which administer the union. A General Meeting is held every two years. Members directly elect the officers of the union. There are six vice-presidents who represent the six geographical regions of the nation, and two officers: the General Secretary and the President. The General Secretary is the union's highest elected office, while the president serves as an aide to the General Secretary. The vice presidents coordinate the activities of the parish branches in their jurisdictions, while the General Secretary and President oversee the day-to-day operations of the union. As of 2007, Stanley Thomas is the president and Helene Davis-Whyte is the General Secretary. JALGO primarily engages in

collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The i ...

and represents the interests of its members in the workplace (largely through filing grievances and participating in workplace decision-making structures). The union also provides a number of member benefits, including emergency loans to members and competitive educational scholarships. The union's headquarters are in Kingston. It is a member of the

and

Public Services International Public Services International (PSI) is the global union federation for workers in public services, including those who work in social services, health care, municipal services, central government and public utilities. , PSI has 700 affiliated ...

Notes

References

*"A Look At The Early Roots." ''Jamaica Gleaner.'' November 21, 2000. *Allen, Desmond. "Dwight Nelson: He Is Not Himself If He Does Not Serve." ''Jamaica Observer.'' June 13, 2004. *Black, Clinton. ''A New History of Jamaica.'' Kingston: William Collins and Sangster Limited, 1974. *Brown, Ingrid and Hines, Horace. "Water Strike Hits Hard." ''Jamaica Observer.'' June 22, 2006. *Davidson, Taneisha and Bellanfante, Dwight. "Gov't Moves to Save MOU." ''Jamaica Observer.'' May 4, 2005. *Eaton, George E. ''Alexander Bustamante and Modern Jamaica.'' Paperback ed. Kingston: LMH Publishers, 1995. {{ISBN, 976-610-191-4 *"JALGO Working Towards Better Benefits For Workers." ''Jamaica Gleaner.'' November 21, 2000. *"Jamaica: Government to Reconsider Controversial Law." ''Inter Press Service.'' September 17, 1987. *"Jamaica Hit By General Strike." ''Associated Press.'' June 25, 1985. *"Jamaican Unions End Walkout." ''Associated Press.'' July 1, 1985. *Rose, Dionne and Hepburn, Monique. "No Wage Freeze - Unions Ready for New MoU Talks." ''Jamaica Gleaner.'' January 18, 2006. *Virtue, Erica. "'Unions' Side-Step Government Ruling." ''Jamaica Gleaner.'' August 13, 2000. Trade unions in Jamaica 1940 establishments in Jamaica Public Services International Trade unions established in 1940 British Empire in World War II Municipal workers' trade unions