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Approximately 37,000 persons have benefited from the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP), since it was launched last year. Opening the 2013/14 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 7, Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, Dr. the Hon. Omar Davies, informed that not only did the programme have a positive impact on employment, but small and medium...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Derrick Kellier, says productivity is the most pressing development issue at present, and there is need for the country to revolutionize its approach to the matter. “Productivity happens to be at the heart of any strategic action we will contemplate for the future, whether at the level of the enterprise or of the...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security are to undertake a comprehensive labour market reform study. “Consultations have already begun and training sessions will commence this year,” said Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller. She was making her contribution to the 2013/2014 Budget debate in the House of Representatives on April...

MONTEGO BAY: The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) has completed renovation of the Wilsons Run Primary School in Trelawny, at a cost of approximately $31.4 million. The development, executed under JSIF’s Community Investment Project (CIP), entailed construction of a new sanitary block to replace pit latrines, and a multi-purpose court; expansion of the kitchen, which has been equipped with a...

Young Jamaicans are being encouraged to do something for their communities through schools and youth groups on National Children’s Action Day, as part of activities to celebrate Child Month 2013, to be observed in May. The Day, being organised by the National Child Month Committee (NCMC), will be observed on Friday, May 10, and the main project is the St....

A number of government departments and agencies will be merged this financial year to enable greater cost-efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector. This was disclosed by Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, during his opening presentation in the 2013/14 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on April 18. The Minister informed that plans are in...

Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier, has underscored the need for the leadership of organisations to recognise the importance of human resource management to the success of the entity. Failure to do so, he warns, will result in private and public sector organisations increasingly discovering a “disturbing disconnect” in the management of their enterprises. Speaking at the opening...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Derrick Kellier, says the National Insurance Fund (NIF) remains viable, despite its participation in the National Debt Exchange (NDX), and is assuring pensioners that their benefits are not in jeopardy. The Minister, who was speaking at a church service on Sunday, April 21, in Montego Bay, to mark the 47th anniversary of the...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Derrick Kellier, has stressed the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, in enhancing the quality of life of the country’s older citizens. “Exercise in senior citizens can benefit tremendously both body and mind. In other words, muscle mass and strength does not have to decline rapidly as we age, as, if...

The Regional Office of the International Labour Organization (ILO) has pledged its commitment to continue its support of the Government’s efforts to legislate the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Bill. The Bill, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, seeks to safeguard the welfare of employees in the workplace. In an interview with JIS...

A sum of $1.4 million has been allotted to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure, to continue its effort to improve the working conditions of domestic workers across the island. The Advancing Decent Work for Domestic Employees programme aims to bring national laws, policies and practices into coherence with international standards, under the...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security will spend $382 million this financial year, to further empower Jamaicans under the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH). Details of this allocation are contained in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. Under the Social Protection Project, the government will aim to improve the effectiveness of...