Morgan says One Road Authority not intended to displace workers

The Government is seeking to assure employees within agencies that are likely to be affected by the establishment of the One Road Authority that the move is not intended to displace workers.

Addressing concerns surrounding the planned restructuring of Jamaica’s road authorities, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of  Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development with responsibility for Works, Robert Morgan, stressed that the initiative is intended to expand opportunities rather than eliminate jobs. 

“It is not the intention of the Government to use the One Road Authority to remove people from positions within the organisations that are being impacted,” he said. 

Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, the Minister explained that while entities may eventually be merged, the scope of work within the sector will increase significantly, creating demand for additional personnel. 

“I suspect that we are going to need more engineers, more road supervisors and more managers because while you're merging entities, you're expanding the scope of their work,” he said. 

Morgan noted that the new structure will also include the creation of a dedicated regulatory arm with responsibilities spanning the entire island. 

“You're creating within that big entity another entity called the regulator… a Commissioner of Roads… which is going to have its own staff. It's going to have inspectors spanning the entire country working with Municipal Corporations and the One Road Authority,” he explained. 

The Minister said the initiative is expected to create opportunities for both existing public-sector employees and new entrants to the workforce. 

“So, there are going to be many opportunities for young people coming out of university with their engineering degrees, many opportunities for people doing regulatory affairs, people doing accounting, people doing auditing. So, the opportunities are there for both persons within the government and outside,” Morgan explained. 

The Minister also pointed to additional employment opportunities expected to arise through the initiatives of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority. 

“This is going to be desperate for new staff, as it is going to be an organisation that will manage billions of dollars of investment contracts to rebuild the society,” he said. 

Morgan acknowledged that concerns have been raised among staff members across the various agencies involved in the reform process and sought to reassure employees that the Government remains committed to protecting and empowering workers. 

“So, my colleagues in the various entities, we have sensed the concerns. We are not here to disenfranchise. We are here to empower,” the Works Minister affirmed. 

-JIS News

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