The Cayman Islands’ first attempt at establishing gender
equality in the workplace has apparently fallen afoul of the local business
community.
According to a letter sent to the government earlier this
month by the Cayman Islands Law Society, local companies fear the Gender
Equality Bill, 2011, will raise operating costs and make it tougher to hire
workers.
“While in principle we wholeheartedly support
anti-discrimination legislation such as this, we fear that it may hinder
employment and add to employers’ costs as they endeavour to implement it,” the
letter, signed by law society President Charles Jennings, read. “At [a] time of
high unemployment…every effort should be made to encourage hiring.”
The letter was supported by the Caymanian Bar Association,
the Insurance Managers Association, the Compliance Association and the Cayman
Islands Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Jennings said.
“The bill, as drafted, will increase the cost of doing
business and adds more red tape at a time when businesses are struggling to
keep their costs under control,” Chamber President Jim O’Neill said. “We
strongly recommend that government withdraw the bill.”
Mr. O’Neill sought further input from the private sector on
the proposal with an eye toward redrafting the bill and bringing it back to the
Legislative Assembly in a different form.
The proposal has already received approval from Cabinet and
was set to go before the LA later this year.
The bill makes it illegal for anyone to discriminate in
hiring, pay or workplace opportunity on the basis of a person’s gender, with a
few exceptions based on the type of job sought.
“A person discriminates against another person …. if the
person makes …. any distinction exclusion or preference, the intent or effect
of which is to nullify or impair equality of opportunity or treatment in any
employment or occupation,” the bill reads.
Please read Monday’s editions of the Caymanian Compass for
more on this story…
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