The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has reaffirmed its commitment to fully support a reduction of the workweek to 40 hours for policemen and women, and says it will honour the existing agreement between the Police Federation and the Government for such a reduction.

In a press statement yesterday, JLP Spokesman on Information, Senator Dwight Nelson, clarified a report, published yesterday out of a Gleaner Editors' Forum, that a JLP government would not support the institution of a 40-hour workweek for the police. The JLP, he said, had "no intention of allowing the members of the police force to continue the inhumane practice of long working hours".

Direct relationship

During the forum on Wednesday, Senator Nelson stated: "There is a direct relationship between the workweek and the cadre. You cannot implement effectively a 40-hour work-week for the police force with the present numbers. The numbers have to be increased significantly if you are going to introduce a 40-hour normal workweek in the police force."

General secretary Karl Samuda said the police were clamouring for the 40-hour workweek because "they were not paid enough they were asked to carry out a life-and-death job.