Events Calendar

CARIFORUM Training of Staff & Commissioners of Competition Authorities

The Commissioners and Technical Staff of the Jamaica Fair Trading Commission (JFTC) participated in the CARIFORUM Level 2 Training in Competition for Staff of Commissions, which was held during March 18-21, 2025, via Zoom.  Up to 65 persons were in attendance during each of the first three days, and 140 persons attended on the closing day.

The workshop was a capacity-building initiative for competition authorities within CARIFORUM under the EU-funded project entitled “Consultancy for Capacity Building in Competition, Public Procurement and Customs and Trade Facilitation”, and aimed to strengthen the specific knowledge and skills that enforcers of competition law require to effectively investigate competition cases. The facilitator of the workshop was Dr. Frédéric Jenny, a professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School in Paris, former Supreme Court Judge of the Commercial Division in France, and the Chairman of the OECD Competition Commission, and the OECD Global Forum.

The workshop covered key areas in competition law such as legal and economic approaches to competition law analysis; direct and indirect evidence in cartel enforcement; abuse of dominance; mergers and acquisitions; standard of proof; sanctions and remedies; and interagency cooperation. The sessions blended legal and economic perspectives with case studies from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, and the wider CARICOM. It emphasized investigative techniques, evidentiary standards, policy impact assessments, and regulatory collaboration, ensuring participants gain practical knowledge to enhance competition enforcement in their jurisdictions.

On the workshop’s closing day, representatives of the regional competition authority, CARICOM Competition Commission (CCC), and several national authorities participated by presenting on their experiences in relation to sector regulators.  Mr. Marc Jones, Senior Legal Counsel at the CCC (and former Legal Officer at the JFTC) presented JFTC’s experience in investigating the 2012 Digicel/Claro acquisition, which involved court judgements on the JFTC’s jurisdiction regarding the telecommunications sector.

Also on the closing day, Executive Director, Mr. David Miller, presented the JFTC’s experience on the topic “Priority Setting and Assessment of Effectiveness of the Actions of Competition Authorities”.  The presentation is attached here.

Priority Setting & Assessment of Effectiveness of JFTC Actions

2025.03 DM Priority Setting And Assessment of Effectiveness of JFTC Actions – CARIFORUM FINAL

Upcoming Roadshow

We’re heading to St. Elizabeth for the next leg of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce’s MSME Business Roadshow, which will take place on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

This is another fantastic opportunity for local businesses to connect, learn, and access vital resources that can help accelerate growth and development. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale your business, this event is packed with valuable insights, networking opportunities, and support tailored to your needs.

Make sure to mark your calendars and stay tuned for more updates.

We can’t wait to see you in St. Elizabeth!

Upcoming Road Show

We’re heading to Clarendon for the next leg of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce’s MSME Business Roadshow, which will take place on Thursday, February 20, 2025.

This is another fantastic opportunity for local businesses to connect, learn, and access vital resources that can help accelerate growth and development. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale your business, this event is packed with valuable insights, networking opportunities, and support tailored to your needs.

Make sure to mark your calendars and stay tuned for more updates.

We can’t wait to see you in Clarendon!

The Fair Trading Commission Recognizes World Competition Day

Competition policy can play a vital role in reducing inequality by promoting competitive market access, protecting consumer welfare, encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation, and supporting job creation and inclusive growth. Click here to read our article on Competition Policy and Inequality.

We are Hiring

INFORMATION SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR

The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) invites applications for the post of Information Systems Administrator (ISA) to manage and support the development of the FTC’s Information & Communications Technology (ICT) environment.

The duties of the ISA include:

• Performs daily database maintenance including, but not limited to, database backups, database administration, database performance and troubleshooting, database auditing and security.
• Provides direction and recommendations towards technology related issues.
• Assesses user requirements, and designs, develops, and installs databases and other software systems.
• Monitors and ensures the effective maintenance of the FTC’s web page.
• Provides pre-event technology planning and onsite technology at conferences and events.
• Performs disaster recovery activities to ensure swift return to normal functionality.
• Tests, implements, and monitors new systems. Co-ordinates the implementation and upgrading of systems.
• Examines and recommends ways to use ICT systems in analyzing information related to investigations and market studies undertaken by the FTC.
• Supervises the implementation, deployment, and documentation of all related systems procedures.

Minimum Requirements
A Bachelor of Science or Post Graduate Degree in Management Information Systems (MIS), Information Technology, Computer Science, or any other related field, with at least three (3) years
working experience in a similar capacity. The ideal candidate possesses in-depth knowledge of computer systems technology, hardware, software, wireless technologies, virtual technologies, disaster recovery techniques, computer risks and data security procedures.

Where to apply
Applications should be submitted no later than Tuesday, November 4, 2024 to:

The Executive Director
Fair Trading Commission
Email: ftc@cwjamaica.com
Subject line: Information Systems Administrator

CARIFORUM – Upcoming Competition Policy Sensitisation session

Date & Time: November 27th, 2024; 10h00 am – 1h00 pm Eastern Standard Time

Format: Virtual Session (Online)

Overview:
Discussion of the scope, opportunities and benefits of the competition provisions of the EPA
Discussion of the impact of EPA provisions on efforts to address anticompetitive conduct in the
CARIFORUM region

About theTrainer: Dr. Taimoon Stewart

• Senior Competition expert currently involved as a Senior Lecturer for the Faculty of Law of the
  University of West Indies,
• Former Vice President of the FTAA Negotiating Group on Competition Policy (NGCP) (1998 – 2003),
  with an interval as lead negotiator for CARICOM.
• 20 years of experience conducting training workshops in competition law for the OECS
  Commissions, the CARICOM Secretariat, and national governments in CARICOM

Register Now at the following link: https://forms.gle/9AhFiUNZHqWnxETA6

FTC presents at CCC’s Capacity Building Workshop on Competition Enforcement in St. Lucia

Mr. David Miller, the FTC’s Executive Director, presented Jamaica’s experience in establishing effective competition authorities at the CARICOM Competition Commission’s Capacity Building Workshop on Competition Enforcement held in Castries, St. Lucia, from June 17 to 19, 2024. Senior public officials from the Government of St. Lucia attended the workshop, which was funded by The Commonwealth.

Over its 30 years of operation, the Jamaican Fair Trading Commission (FTC) has consistently demonstrated the necessary characteristics of an effective competition agency, including accountability, accessibility, fairness, confidentiality, and communication. Mr. Miller utilized interactive sessions to describe the core functions of competition agencies, highlighting enforcement, advocacy, and public education, and shared Jamaica’s experience in carrying out these functions. He emphasized that Jamaica’s journey demonstrates a specific institutional design necessary for these functions to be effective, outlining key components such as operations, legal framework, investigative process, decision-making, cooperation, institutional memory, and sound infrastructure.

According to Mr. Miller, overall agency effectiveness can be achieved only through proper institutional design, sound policy and strategy implementation, capacity building, knowledge retention, technological advancements, collaboration with MDAs, and a culture of periodic assessment. These elements are essential to realize the benefits of competition to the economy, businesses and consumers.

Mr. Miller’s presentation is included here

Stakeholder Engagement: Valuator Empanelment Guidelines

The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) has conducted numerous investigations into the practice by some businesses to create and manage a list of preferred complementary service providers they engage with. The exclusive list of preferred providers is often referred to as a panel and its use is widespread among commercial banks, insurance companies and mortgage banks, among others.

While the FTC is aware that there is legitimate business justification for the practice, it also acknowledges that the use of panels by businesses with a large customer base may create a distinct competitive advantage for preferred providers over excluded providers. Hence, it is the responsibility of the FTC to strike the right balance to ensure that the use of panels does not unduly lessen competition.

The FTC has developed a Position Paper offering draft guidelines which businesses may follow to minimise their exposure to competition law enforcement actions. These guidelines coincide with conditions under which the use of panels is unlikely to have the effect of lessening competition substantially. These guidelines rely extensively on lessons learned by the FTC from dealing with this issue in the past and from the experiences of other jurisdictions.

Before finalising the guidelines, the FTC seeks comments from individuals or businesses which may be directly or indirectly affected by the practice. The FTC would be especially interested in your perspectives on:

• The proposed time span for the renewal of panels;
• The adequacy of the FTC’s guidelines in addressing the key issues;
• Recommendations for other eligibility criteria or regulations.

The FTC will receive comments up until July 26, 2024.

Please send comments via email to ftc@cwjamaica.com

CARICOM Competition Commission’s Capacity Building Workshop on Competition Enforcement

Mr. David Miller, Executive Director, will participate in the CARICOM Competition Commission’s Capacity Building Workshop on Competition Enforcement, which will be held in Castries, St. Lucia, on June 17 to 19, 2024.  Senior Public Officials from the Government of St. Lucia will learn about key principles and practical tools used in competition law as well as strategies for implementing competition policy in St. Lucia.  Mr. Miller will lead the discussion on establishing effective competition authorities.