1,200 Residents of Western Jamaica Benefit From Labour Ministry Roadshow

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security took its Labour Department Roadshow to Montego Bay on Thursday (September 12), with more than 1,200 residents of western Jamaica benefiting from the information session and job fair.

Speaking at the opening ceremony for the event held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, portfolio Minister, Hon. Shahine Robinson, said that the islandwide roadshow provides an avenue to increase national awareness about the programmes and resources of the Ministry and empower and transform the socio-economic well-being of citizens.

She noted that the first staging of the roadshow in 2018 had a “tremendous impact”, which “gave us an opportunity to engage and educate Jamaicans across the island in a direct manner”.

Mrs. Robinson said that by bringing the event to Montego Bay, the objective is to ensure that Jamaicans in the west can have the services of the Ministry at their fingertips.

“It is an absolute pleasure to bring to western Jamaica, the services of the Ministry in a single event of this magnitude as we continue the thrust of putting the Ministry in the hands of the people,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Robinson noted that the Ministry has been working with employers and employees to enable greater knowledge of and compliance with labour-related laws and policies.

She said that the Government is committed to improving the welfare of workers, as well as “provide information and services that will enable internationally accepted working conditions that will foster greater levels of productivity”.

“I am very passionate about protecting the labour welfare of all workers, and I take the opportunity to commend the parishes in this region for their strong work ethic, which has helped to stimulate and diversify local and international investments,” Mrs. Robinson said.

The Montego Bay roadshow was the largest to be hosted by the Ministry.

During the job fair segment, more that 42 employers conducted interviews with applicants, who have registered through the Ministry’s Labour Market Information System (LMIS) portal.