ABSTRACT
The world of work continues to evolve in several areas, with the attendant challenges which surround these developments becoming increasingly visible. Many Commonwealth Caribbean countries, having courted and facilitated the establishment of businesses by foreign investors, are now faced with a variety of unfamiliar employment, labour, human resource and industrial relations practices which have been imported by the new entrants. Not to be outdone, indigenous employers have also moved to adopt some of these novel employment principles into a labour market regime which was previously largely operated on the basis of the common law, limited legislation and customs, which were nurtured by the parties themselves. These changes have now begun to affect the employment relationship, with some being caught fl at-footed and ill-prepared to deal with these somewhat unexpected occurrences. Workers are also progressively being faced with various acts of violence, on and off the worksite, which sometimes adversely affect their ability to provide a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay. Here again, employers may or may not recognise the importance or impact of a developing issue capable of having debilitating effects on their operations.
