The president of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ), Metry Seaga, has called on Prime Minister Andrew Holness to set a date for the Vale Royal talks with the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP).
Seaga made the call as Holness recently announced that his administration is prepared to resume the dialogue with the Opposition to discuss measures to tackle crime and violence.
Speaking with Radio Jamaica News on Sunday, Seaga called on the parties to speed up the talks to tackle the issue of crime that has been plaguing Jamaica.
According to Metry Seaga, crime is a major concern of the country’s business sector.
“It is the most vexing issue that we have and if we don’t get a handle on it, we cannot have the growth that we need.” Despite this, the PSOJ president says he expects economic growth in Jamaica in 2023.
Seaga said he’s hoping for industrial relations calm during upcoming wage negotiations between the trade unions and employers this year.
He warned that instability could derail the slow economic recovery “People need to be paid better in Jamaica, there’s no question about that, but we also need to make sure we don’t put wages at a place that will make people lose their jobs so it’s a fine balance and we have to find what’s right.”
The Vale Royal talks are a mechanism for members of the two major political parties to have bipartisan discussions on critical issues of national importance and find solutions to Jamaica’s common social problems.
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