Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Junior, has reaffirmed the government’s support in developing structures to better assist skilled construction workers.

He was responding to concerns raised by trade unionists at the recent signing of the Joint Industrial Council (JIC) labour management agreement.

The concerns about local workers being undervalued and underpaid, were raised by the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) and the National Workers Union (NWU).

Charles Jnr. said focus remains on modernizing the labour force in Jamaica, to ensure better support for workers in the building/construction industry.

He explained that the government has a duty to ensure that local workers develop the required skills, but stressed that there are times it will have to outsource labour.