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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...

A sum of $6 million has been set aside for the continuation of the Social Protection Support to Food Price Crisis project. Details of this allocation are contained in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, with funding support from the Inter-American...

The administration’s efforts to improve service delivery in the public sector have been bolstered, with an allocation of $168.18 million in the 2013/14 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The money will go towards the Public Modernisation Programme II, which seeks to enable government ministries, departments and agencies to develop and deliver high quality integrated public service...

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...