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A Week Of Celebration In Recognition Of Workers

By: , May 18, 2022
A Week Of Celebration In Recognition Of Workers
Photo: JIS
Divisional Director for Industrial Relations and Allied Services in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Gillian Corrodus.

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Workers’ Week is being celebrated May 15 to 23 under the theme “Repositioning Jamaica’s Labour Market – Post COVID”.

Divisional Director for Industrial Relations and Allied Services in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) Gillian Corrodus, said the theme reflects on the history of labour relations in Jamaica, examines the impact of the pandemic and generates conversations and initiatives to create a more resilient labour market and encourage sustainable development.

Activities for the week include the annual Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Workers Monument on Port Royal Street on Wednesday (May 18). This monument was erected as a lasting memory and reflection on the plight of the Kingston Port workers who staged the Kingston Waterfront strike in 1938 for better terms and conditions of work. This workers monument is known as the Agnes ‘Aggie’ Bernard Workers Monument.

Aggie Bernard is known as the unsung heroine of the 1938 Waterfront Labour Riots, when she fed hundreds of workers during the two-week strike.

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon Karl Samuda; Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange; Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon Desmond McKenzie and other government officials, are scheduled to be in attendance.

On Friday (May 20), a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be signed with the Government of Germany to launch the Jamaica-Germany Scholarships programme dubbed “60 scholarship”.

Mrs. Corrodus disclosed that this is a bilateral cooperation activity for Labour market support providing study opportunities for Jamaicans at the tertiary level in skills such as digitisation, cybersecurity, technical areas related to service support for electric motor vehicles (automotive industry) and other similar disciplines.

Participants will study online, with opportunities to visit Germany. The MOU will also celebrate 60 years of bilateral cooperation between Jamaica and Germany.

On Sunday (May 22) the National Church service in recognition of Workers’ Week and Labour Day will be held at the Emmanuel Apostolic Church, Slipe Road, Kingston, starting at 9:00 a.m.

This will be followed by the Labour Relations Awards Banquet on Tuesday (May 31) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, to recognise workers, employers, attorneys and sector-based agencies and institutions that have made a significant contribution to labour in Jamaica.

The awards ceremony is being hosted by Minister Karl Samuda, with the keynote address by Regional Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO Latin America and the Caribbean), Dennis Zulu.

The western region of the MLSS will host a Labour Talks Seminar under the theme “Repositioning Jamaica’s Labour Market – Post COVID” on Thursday (June 2), at the Royalton Hotel, Trelawny.

Mrs. Corrodus pointed out that the seminar will include a panel discussion examining the impact of the pandemic on the labour market, labour relations locally and globally, and recommendations for national advancement.

Participants will include representatives from the legal fraternity, academia, tourism, entertainment, agriculture and manufacturing sectors. Jamaica is presently participating in the Fifth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour, being held in Durban, South Africa, May 15 to 20.

Jamaica is the leader in this initiative to eliminate child labour in the Caribbean region.

Mrs. Corrodus said that this year’s activities will extend beyond the week to recognise the contribution of employers and labour in Jamaica’s 60th year of Independence.

Workers’ Week 2022 will culminate with the celebration of Labour Day on Monday (May 23) under the theme “Re-igniting a Nation for Greatness – Protect our Heritage and Environment”.

Last Updated: May 18, 2022

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