( L - R ) William Raby, Francis Tavares, Jerome Gayle
The Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ) has announced the appointment of three of its port workers, William Raby, Jerome Gayle and Francis Tavares, to the newly expanded roles of shift monitors. The position of shift monitors was expanded to improve the liaison between the SAJ and the wharf and stevedoring companies with the introduction of new flexibility measures at Port Bustamante.
Deploying workers
Among the new measures is the ability of the stevedoring companies to deploy workers individually based on work flow, rather than the old system of maintaining rigid work gangs comprising of a minimum of six workers. The shift monitors are trained stevedores who will assist the terminals to handle the deployment of workers efficiently, noting the need for safety and productivity at the port.
Tavares, Raby and Gayle were among 30 qualified applicants for the three new positions. Previously, there were two other persons operating as shift monitors since 1998 when the Port began its drive for flexibility. These persons, Dudley Doyley and Roy Dawkins were also taken from the stevedoring workforce and have been highly successful in supporting the work of the SAJ at both APM Terminals Jamaica Ltd and Kingston Wharves Ltd.
Dawkins and Doyley, however, have operated only on the day shifts, while the Port operates on three shifts. The new shift monitors will increase the supervisory presence of the SAJ on all shifts.
As shift monitors, their role will be to assist the supervisor in coordinating the work of the stevedores and to support all labour operations involving stevedores working on the Port of Kingston, while liaising with all levels of supervisory staff of stevedoring companies, in an effort to maximise efficiency while ensuring adherence to safe working practices.
Jerome Gayle
As a child growing up in Portmore, St Catherine, Jerome Gayle set his sights on becoming a sailor. In the early 1990's, he set out to achieve his childhood dream by enrolling at the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI).
While studying at CMI, he learned of the job prospects on Port Bustamante and decided to explore his dream of working on ships.
In 1998, he applied and was successfully employed as a stevedore at the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ). He soon fell in love with lashing and unlashing vessels, and decided that working on the port was the job for him. "I preferred working with the SAJ because you get to work anywhere on the port. I liked the variety," Gayle said.
His initial employment was as a contract worker, but Gayle was ambitious and decided to upgrade himself professionally and was trained as a stevedoring coordinator and was certified in 2004. In 2005, he became a permanent member of staff at the SAJ.
Earlier this year when the SAJ took the decision to employ three shift monitors, Gayle saw this as his opportunity to better serve the company and the port of Kingston.
Elated by his success at getting one of the positions, Gayle says his vision for the Port of Kingston is to, "see stevedores getting the opportunity to work in every area on the Port of Kingston."
William Raby
He used to play on the sea-side with his friends as a child. And for William Raby, seeing those huge ships coming into Port Bustamante piqued his interest and he decided that he wanted a life at sea.
The boy from Rockfort in Kingston started to achieve his dream and his work in the shipping industry years later as an able-bodied seaman working on ships at sea.
When misfortune hit Raby's then employer, he sought out other opportunities to continue his passion. He got himself qualified to work on vessels by completing the multi-purpose rating course and later gained employment at the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ) 1994.
He worked as a causal worker for six months before he was promoted to being a permanent member of staff.
Raby later trained to be a forklift operator and also began training to work in the gantry. Based on his years of experience, in 2004, he became a trainer for new employees and taught new stevedores the art of lashing and unlashing a vessel. Additionally, when the SAJ implemented the safety harness, he trained the staff the correct way to use the equipment.
Raby now continues his contribution on the port as a shift monitor, and says he is up to the challenge. "It (the job) has its challenges, and I have always been up to a challenge. If a job is not challenging, I don't see it fit for me."
Going forward, Raby says he would like to see Port Bustamante continue its expansion and employ more Jamaicans to give the youth a chance to shine in life.
Francis Tavares
Unlike his colleagues, Francis Tavares never dreamed that he wanted to work on ships or even in the shipping industry. The man originally from Kingston central, who grew up in Port Royal said he had odd jobs in insurance and sales before he was introduced to the shipping industry.
It was in 1995 that he was informed of the many possibilities that existed on Port Bustamante. "Mr. Carl Brown, then manager of the SAJ Recruiting Centre, told me about the wharf and told me that it was a good opportunity to make a livelihood and contribute to nation building."
"I applied, did the test, was interviewed and have not looked back since," Tavares said.
Casual worker
He worked as a casual worker until 2000, when he became a registered worker. In that year he became a union delegate with the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU).
In 2004, the opportunity for cross training came about and he trained as a stevedore co-ordinator and was certified.
As a union delegate, he participated in Industrial Relations courses at the University of the West Indies and Barbados Union College. "I was bitten by the union bug. I love representing the workers and I love the interchange with managers at the Joint Industrial Council," Tavares said.
Hopes for the future
He views his new position as a way to continue his contribution to nation building. Tavares notes that his vision for the Port of Kingston is to see the port, "become a first-world port, a leader in setting the trend as it relates to efficiency and productivity of port operations and the role of the SAJ is that it will continue to provide skilled professional labour on the port."
The three shift monitors were among an 18-person delegation from the SAJ and Kingston Wharves Limited that visited the Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) and the Panama Canal from August 13 to 17, with the support of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA).
