Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter
Helene Davis-Whyte - Photos by Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
IT IS hard to imagine a woman being in the thick of labour negotiations where tempers often flare and the pressure mounts to get the best deal for the workers you represent.
But Helene Davis-Whyte admits to loving the "cut and thrust" of these negotiations. Mrs. Davis-Whyte is the first female to have been elected as general secretary of the Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO).
The 67-year-old union represents some 5,000 workers of several categories in Local andCentral Government, as well as statutory bodies and quasi-government agencies in Jamaica.
These include firefighters, officers and sub-officers, as well as civilian staff of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, employees in the pre-supervisory and supervisory units of the National Water Commission and the island's hospitals and health service, schools and parish councils.
Happenstance
It was by chance that she got involved in labour issues. It all began at the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) where she was employed.
It was in the 1980s where there was a change of government. There was talk that a number of persons in her department would be laid off.
"We as a group felt that it was not in the interest of the persons who were there at the time because they had been employed for very long periods as temporary persons and we felt that there should be no move to lay them off and bring in others," she points out.
The young Helene found herself being at the forefront fighting to preserve the jobs of her colleagues. As members of JALGO at the time, she says the workers consulted with JALGO on the matter.
"In that meeting with the general secretary, I just took on the role of the person who was able to put forward the views of the members I was not a delegate at the time," she reminisces. "Coming out of that meeting, I was elected a delegate, and from there, I became more and more involved in the union."
Getting involved
That incident whetted her appetite and she didn't stop there; she went on to becoming a vice-president of the Municipal Branch of JALGO and then was seconded to JALGO office in 1984 as the education officer.
But it was in 1985 that she took on a more active role, as many of the union members had experienced redundancies and she was again in the forefront, taking on more administrative functions in the union.
"I was probably one of the most anti-union persons before I became involved in the union because I had the same views about union leaders sellingout workers," she chuckles. "When we saw E. Lloyd Taylor (former general secretary of JALGO) coming and going, I use to pass all sort of remarks and then I found myself afterwards being involved and actually liking it."
In 1995, she assumed the highest rank of general secretary when she took over from Mr. Taylor and was re-elected to the post in 1998, 2001 and again in 2004.
Being a woman in a male-dominated field does not perturb Mrs. Davis-Whyte. She points out that a male majority elected her.
"I had some run-ins and I had to ensure that they understood that not because I am a woman, I would allow you to lead. I was elected."
There was some fallout initially, but she got past that. She, however, notes that being the 'gentler sex' has had some advantage as her role as general secretary has extended to counselling.
"I don't know if it is because they associate that skill with women where you are supposed to be more understanding," she says as she smiles. "I find that I have been counselling people on marital problems, financial problems - all sorts of things."
She has not, however, encountered many challenges due to her sex.
"I can't say that I have not been accepted. I think sometimes they don't even remember that I am a woman. But part of it too, I think, is that I don't play that up, my being a woman as being special. I recognise it, but I don't play on that," she says.
Striving for the best
I strive to do the job to the best of my ability ... and not focus on the fact that I ama woman.
She, however, notes that she has to ensure that she does a good job of representing her members by doing her homework and preparing herself.
"I strive to do the job to the best of my ability, to ensure that I am aware of all the issues and have as much knowledge as possible so that I can do the job of a trade unionist the way that I think it should be done, and not focus on the fact that I am a woman," she says.
What she loves most about her job is the 'high' she gets when negotiating, but she despises the divisiveness, which stems from different points of view. She addresses this by applying a conciliatory approach.
Mrs. Davis-Whyte is also a vice-president of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions and incidentally, got the highest vote as vice-president at the last election.
A former Queens' High School student, she holds a bachelor of science degree in human resource management, an associate degree in business studies and certificates in advanced trade unionism and labour economics.
But life for Mrs. Davis-Whyte was not always easy, she tells The Gleaner. While growing up with her three siblings, she had a fairly happy childhood, but things became difficult while in high school as her father's business began to face financial problems.
It was so bad, that she was forced to drop out of sixth form months before sitting exams. She had to work to assist her younger siblings. But it was the strong family values that were inculcated by her parents that kept her focused.
"I know that a lot of my friends at high school did not know that I was going through problems because I went to school everyday," she says. "Sometimes I left home without breakfast; I never had the lunch money and when I got home, I was not sure that I would see dinner."
She became a mother at 19. But these challenges did not daunt her. It was, however, the support of her sister who was also in a similar situation that got her through.
She admits that life was very difficult, but insisted that when you get the curve balls, you have to swing at them.
"When you are going through difficult times, don't allow it to encompass you," she advises.
Family support
She insists that it was the family support that got her through. "It was a really difficult time, but we were able to overcome because we recognised the value of sharing and family," she says.
"We were basically making sure that we were able to survive together," she says. "And I think that togetherness has really helped. That is how our foreparents were able to overcome ..."
She says one has to recognise that the success of anyone (in the family) is the success of everyone. She cautioned that when we move away from those kinds of values and become individualistic, that is when problems set in.
"This is why we have so many problems in Jamaica, I believe. When we were operating in the old African traditional ways, when we had the community and the family and so on, we were able to do much more," she declares.
She was determined that she would not have another child out of wedlock. It was 20 years later that she had her second child, but this was after marrying Frederick Whyte, former commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade. They have been married for 12 years.
"He is very supportive of me in everything I do," she says proudly. "In fact, he is the one who would push me into many things."
Of late, she has added being a political analyst to the many things that she is involved in. She, however, has no ambitions of entering politics.
When not negotiating for her members or expressing her views politically, she relaxes by doing some gardening.
"Sometimes my husband says he has to compete with the plants for attention from me. I particularly do a lot of orchids and that is my great love right now," she states.
dionne.rose@gleanerjm.com
