Introduction

• Author: Noel Cowell/Clement Branche
• Pages: 19-30

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INTRODUCTION

The papers appearing in this volume are based on the Mona Academic

Conference 2000 (MAC 2000) held at the Mona campus of the University

of the West Indies, in Kingston Jamaica. The Conference is an annual affair

sponsored by the Office of the Principal. It is deliberately staged at the

beginning of the academic year in order to set the tone for the year’s activities

and to introduce in-coming students and staff to the role of the University in

contributing to the development of social policy. Through agreement between

the Ministry of Labour in Jamaica and the University, MAC 2000 was also

intended to serve another purpose: to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the

Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT). The IDT was of course established under

the Labour Relations and Industrial Disputes Act (LRIDA) of 1975 and has

since then emerged as one of the foremost institutions regulating employment

relations in Jamaica. As some of the articles included in the volume will

show, it has had a profound impact on the way in which Jamaicans practise

and think about industrial relations.

While it was important to recognise the role of this institution, the theme

of the conference, “Human Resource Development for Competitive

Advantage”, was deliberately selected to permit a broad focus on work and

workplace issues that went beyond employment relations. Specifically, close

attention was paid to some of the key socioeconomic issues involved in health

and health care; and in addition, the area of training and education were

examined. While none of the three areas, employment relations, health and

education/training, was exhaustively examined, the presenters sought to place

on the agenda for policy and research, a number of issues of critical concern

to Caribbean workers and employers in the new arena of work.

As usual, the Mona Academic Conference aims to bring the best

international thinking to bear on issues of concern to the contemporary

Caribbean. As such, input was sought from a variety of sources. Presentations

Introduction

NOEL M. COWELL AND CLEMENT BRANCHE