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The Government will be spending some $35 million this fiscal year on a number of initiatives aimed at improving the economic welfare and delivery of services to the disabled community. The provision comes under the Economic Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities project, which is slated to get underway this month. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and...

The Ministry of Finance and Planning wishes to announce the appointments of Mr. Colin Bullock as the new Director General of the PIanning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ); Miss Carol Coy as the new Director General at the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) and Mr. Everton McFarlane who will be assigned to the Ministry of Finance and Planning. Mr. Colin Bullock,...

Minister with responsibility for the Public Service, Hon. Horace Dalley, says efforts are continuing to lobby support for the public sector wage restraint agreement by unions not yet on board. The three-year agreement, which was signed earlier this month, will see the island’s civil servants forgoing major wage increases for the period 2013 to 2015. This forms part of the...

Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier, says the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) continues to be regarded globally as one of the best social protection initiatives of its kind. This, he said, is based on positive reviews of the programme by Jamaica’s international partners such as the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). “We...

The Social Development Commission (SDC) is expressing satisfaction with the public response to its series of Participatory, Accountability and Responsibility (PAR) parish sessions. According to Executive Director of the SDC, Dr. Dwayne Vernon, the feedback has been positive to date, with citizens voicing approval for the agency’s work and how the various activities have impacted their lives. “What has come...

A six-month public education campaign, aimed at promoting gender equality, was officially launched today (March 8), by Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer. Entitled 'The Way Out', the $7.5 million campaign, which also seeks to promote women's empowerment, is designed to support the implementation of the island's National Policy for Gender Equality. The policy promotes fairness...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Derrick Kellier, has given the Government’s commitment to addressing the needs of women and senior citizens, whom, he said, are among the most vulnerable groups in the society. Addressing an event held on Thursday, March 7, on the grounds of the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) in St. Andrew, Mr. Kellier hailed...

The National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) is to continue its series of retirement seminars. This was disclosed by Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Derrick Kellier, during the pre-International Women’s Day celebration on the grounds of the NCSC in Kingston, on Thursday, March 7. He said the seminars seek to address the impact of retirement on social and...

The Jamaica Manufacturer’s Association (JMA) is partnering with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), in a pilot project aimed at reducing the levels of discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS who work in the local food services industry. An agreement for the project was recently signed and 15companies will be on board. They will participate in workshops and...

Students involved in training programmes at the HEART Trust/NTA’s Rockfort Vocational Training Centre (VTC) are being encouraged to participate in the Oversees Employment Programme. Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Derrick Kellier, made the appeal as he addressed an Employers’ Forum and Open Day held on Thursday, February 28, at the institution located on Windward Road, Kingston. He said...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) is reporting an increase in the number of Jamaican workers with professional or vocational certification last year. Programme Director for the PIOJ's Plan Development Unit, Richard Lumsden, said that figures from the 2012 Statistical Institute of Jamaica's (STATIN) Labour Force Survey, showed that 23.7 per cent of the labour force has such qualification. The...

Cabinet has approved a proposal to amend the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) Act, to increase the penalties for breaches of that law. Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, explains that the law, which was enacted in 2007, had no specific provisions to deal with other offences related to trafficking, such as assault, carnal abuse, rape, child...