Don’t let tech take away the workers’ dignity – Perrin

WESTERN BUREAU:

Westmoreland’s Custos Reverend Hartley Perrin is sounding the rapid adoption of more technology in the workplace, warning that Jamaican workers must not be left behind or stripped of their dignity in the name of progress.

Perrin, who was speaking a the recent event in Frome, Westmoreland, said that while innovation is inevitable, the rights of workers must remain central to national development.

“It has to be admitted that we are living in an era where many are fearful that human labour as we know it is fast becoming obsolete. Where we once laboured, robots now work. Machines are taking over,” Perrin told the attendees, which included school children, educators, cane farmers, cane cutters, and staffers at the Pan Caribbean Sugar Factory, which is in Frome.

Drawing on the historic 1938 labour uprising, which reshaped the Jamaican workforce and ignited the modern trade union movement, Perrin said the struggle for workers’ rights, which was also at the heart of Jamaica’s two major political parties – the People’s National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) – is far from over.

“1938 was a watershed moment in our history. We must never allow the sweat, blood, and tears of our forebearers to come to naught. They sacrificed so that we wouldn’t have to endure what they did,” said Perrin.

In further speaking to the ongoing technological revolution, Perrin said that while technology is important and every Jamaican must embrace it, if unchecked, it could erode not only jobs but also the dignity of workers.

“Pretty soon, our bosses might not even be human,” said Perrin, triggering chuckles among the audience.“You could walk in, and a machine says, ‘You are late by one second.’ And if you object, it says, ‘Here’s your letter of dismissal.’”

INJUSTICE IN THE WORKPLACE

Despite decades of advocacy and legislation, Perrin noted with regret that many Jamaican workers continued to suffer injustice in the workplace from myriad challenges to include low wages and an unsatisfactory working environment.

“It is a tremendous sense of shame that even now, many of our workers are being mistreated,” lamented Perrin. “We cannot speak of progress when workers are still disrespected and demeaned.”

Speaking about the 2025 National Workers Week theme, ‘Transforming Workers for Greater Resilience and Sustainable Development,’ Perrin urged employers to always remember that technological progress should not come at the expense of humanity.

“Transforming the workforce is important, but not just for the sake of efficiency. It must be about respect. Any workplace that disrespects workers needs reform,” said Perrin, noting that all stakeholders – government, private sector, and civil society – must recommit to building a just and inclusive economy that honours the legacy of Jamaica’s labour heroes. “Machines may replace our tasks, but they must never replace our dignity.”

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com