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Thursday, 12 March 2009
The Minister in Charge of the Public Service Senator Dwight Nelson said he is unmoved by strident calls to support the abolition of a law that prevents women from working late at nights.
He was speaking during Wednesday's meeting of the Joint Select Parliamentary committee on flexi-work arrangements.
In keeping with the 1942 Employment of Women Act, only specific categories of women including nurses and police officers are allowed by law to work between 10 PM and 5AM.
Senator Nelson said he does not support arguments in favour of abolishing the Employment of Women Act.
"Given the nature of the country at this moment, given the hazards and dangers that people working at night face I am not sure I want to amend this law to say that women should work the swing or graveyard shift," said Senator Nelson.
However, Women's rights advocate and Attorney Margaurite McCauley says the 67 year old law should be removed from the books because it is discriminatory.
"You cannot legislate discriminatory practices to exist against women, they themselves can choose not to do so but you cannot do and the law which is in the law books has been held to be archaic for a long time, nobody is paying attention to it. And because it is discriminatory against women there was a suggestion that it be repealed, a long time ago," said Ms. McCauley.
Chairman of the flexi-work committee, Pearnel Charles said deeper legal analysis will be needed if any changes are to be made to the Women's Employment Act in order to make way for flexi-work arrangements.
<span style="font-weight: bold">well kiss my nek an slap me silly...if a laff a muss wet up miself fi real...mi wud neva believe seh dem would a really ha such a law still pon di books...as to him argument, dem a kill ooman a yaad like nutten so how di law a kip dem safe as it is...</span>
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