Labour Minister, Pearnel Charles Jr is urging stakeholders, especially bargaining unions to engage with the Ministry at an early stage so that conciliation can occur swiftly.

Mr. Charles Jr was responding to questions at last Wednesday’s post-Cabinet press briefing about his Ministry’s level of preparedness to handle issues relating to the Government’s compensation review, among other labour challenges.

Last week, several of the nation’s public hospitals and health centres limited their services to emergency care after medical consultants stayed off the job for two days over the non-payment of their retroactive salaries.

Administrative, technical and auxiliary workers at the University of Technology also withdrew their services due to a similar issue, while the Jamaica Teachers’ Association threatened industrial action due to several wage concerns.

However, Minister Charles Jr noted that his team has been quietly handling labour issues, with ongoing conciliatory efforts yielding positive results.