Labor Rights as Human Rights: The Situation of Women Workers in Jamaica's Export Free Zones

Though somewhere between 15% and 25% of Jamaica's formal sector labor force is unionized, not one of the factories in Jamaica's export free zones is unionized. This article discusses the concept of export free zones, and their specific application in Jamaica. It then explores Jamaica's labor law obligations, and concludes that Jamaica is under a number of obligations to afford its workers the right to organize, join, and form trade unions. Possible impediments to organizing in Jamaica's free zones are addressed. The article concludes that, although legal procedures for remedying the situation exist, the social conditions and the lack of involvement of Jamaica's trade unions in addressing the labor rights or the mostly female free zone workforce, suggest that enforcement measures may prove ineffective.