Private sector groups want urgent end to taxi strike
/ Our Today
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Private sector bodies, including the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, the MSME Alliance and the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association are calling for an urgent and amicable resolution to today’s (November 14) strike by public Passenger vehicle operators, which this morning left thousands of commuters stranded as they attempted to go about their business.
According to the private sector groups, the impacts of the strike are far-reaching and pose a severe blow to efforts being made to restore the country’s growth.
The organisations said there could be up to approximately 50 per cent loss of production today because of the strike.
“The private sector bodies are therefore calling for inclusive and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders, inclusive of the Government of Jamaica and the transport associations,” the groups said in a release this afternoon.
“The country, they note, cannot afford any further setbacks to normalcy, as it has already seen the negative repercussions across sectors during the pandemic, including learning loss by children and reduced operations in businesses.”
Many of the country’s citizens, they pointed out, are reliant on the public transportation system, not only to make it to and from work, but also to access essential services.
The private sector bodies reiterated their expectation that the situation will be resolved quickly and that the respective parties are able to arrive at a consensus on the way forward.
Public passenger vehicle operators are reportedly demanding a new traffic ticket amnesty, ahead of the Government’s full implementation of the new Road Traffic Act, which could result in several operators with outstanding tickets seeing their licences suspenced or facing other severe penalties.
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