At a meeting in the office of Jamaica’s Minister of Labour and Social Security on March 17, Brock Associate Professor Simon Black joined General Secretary Shirley Pryce and President Elaine Duncan of the Jamaica Household Workers’ Union at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Minister Pearnel Charles Jr. Also present was Acting Permanent … Continue reading Jamaican domestic workers deploy Brock research to support advocacy
Category: Labour
A judge recently certified a lawsuit against the federal government over the paymnet of EI premiums by workers in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program. The lawsuit will be allowed to proceed to trial, a judge ruled last month Mar 03, 2026 A class action lawsuit alleging Canada's Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program exploits the labour and … Continue reading Class action lawsuit over migrant farm workers’ EI benefits, restrictions to proceed
October 8, 2025 The Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) is calling on all CARICOM member states to move towards full implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). A statement by General Secretary Michael Annisette comes in the wake of full free movement among Barbados, Belize, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines which … Continue reading Call for Caricom member states to fully implement CSME
Sen. the Hon. Claudette Joseph, Attorney General and Minister for Legal Affairs, Labour and Consumer Affairs, Grenada and Chair, COHSOD-Labour with CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett and Ambassador Wayne McCook, Assistant Secretary General, CARICOM Single Market and Trade April 11, 2025 CARICOM Ministers of Labour have agreed to a harmonised and sustained approach to matters … Continue reading Harmonised approach to Labour policies crucial to free movement within CARICOM
A very thoughtful piece by Shellene Drakes-Tull as well as some background on the West Indian Domestic Workers Scheme. This is one of the reasons the Canada-Caribbean Institute was formed...to encourage, recognize and celebrate the contributions of individuals to the development of Canada and the Caribbean. Source: Canadian Encyclopedia By Shellene Drakes-Tull Contributing Columnist Shellene Drakes-Tull is … Continue reading Opinion | Some Canadians are becoming wary of immigration. But where would the country be without people like my mom?
Simon Black The Gleaner, October 6, 2024 by Simon Black In thousands of households across Jamaica, domestic workers do the work of cooking, cleaning, gardening, and caring for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. In the absence of adequate care leave policies and investments in social services, these workers play a vital, though often … Continue reading Domestic workers need government action, not a “bagga mouth”
Prof. Simon Black of the Department of Labour Studies at Brock University has recently co-authored, with Dr Lauren Marsh of UWI Global Campus an article that explores the role of domestic workers' organizations in labour standards enforcment. The abstract notes that drawing on qualitative data, the authors examine the case of the Jamaica Household Workers' … Continue reading Domestic workers’ organizations and participatory approaches to labour standards enforcement: The case of Jamaica
The Government of Canada has been grappling with the complex issues around the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Today, several significant changes were announced that will be of interest to many in the Caribbean. The changes relate to refusing to process applications in certain instances and measures related to employer compliance and worker protection. A quick … Continue reading Federal government restricts temporary foreign worker program for low-wage sector, reimposes pre-pandemic rules
Source: CDB The Caribbean Development Bank and the Government of Canada have provided links to the various sessions of the CDB Annual Meeting in Ottawa next week. If you want to watch and listen to any of the sessions you can find the links here.
Source: CDB The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is convening global experts for a ground-breaking seminar on achieving employment equity and promoting inclusion in the Region’s labour markets. Scheduled for Wednesday, June 19, 2024, the forum entitled "Employment Equity: Promoting Inclusion in Caribbean Labour Markets" is part of the roster of activities of the Bank’s 54th Annual Meeting, … Continue reading Caribbean Development Bank SeminarTackles Labour Market Inequalities at Upcoming Annual Meeting