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Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles, today (Thursday April 30) announced that effective Monday May 11, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) will be increased by ten per cent. The increase will move the NMW from the current $3,700 to $4,070.00 per forty (40) hour week. Effective Monday June 1, industrial security guards will also see a 10...

When Rupert Douglas went to Canada as a farm worker for the first time in 1972, a lot of things were different. For one, his salary was 65 cents per hour and the Ontario farm on which he worked, H. W. Holdings Limited, only produced peaches. Thirty-seven years later, the Port Antonio native is still making the trip every year...

The average number of Jamaicans travelling to Canada under the Canadian Overseas Workers Programme has now reached eight thousand (8,000) annually and according to Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles, remittances from the programme have far exceeded Can$52 million over the past five years. During bi-lateral talks at Jamaica House this morning (April 21) with Canadian Prime...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security(MLSS) on Wednesday (April 8) handed over cheques, valued at approximately $600,000, to five persons with disabilities to help start their own small businesses under the Economic Enablement project Speaking at the handing over ceremony, Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Andrew Gallimore, said that the initiative is...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security(MLSS), has joined the Mustard Seed Community and the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) in providing assistance for 9-year-old Ashley Anderson, who was shot in her head by a stray bullet at her gate in downtown Kingston, last year.. Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Andrew...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, has said that the Government will be strengthening the social safety net progamme this fiscal year, as part of measures to help Jamaicans cushion the worst effects of the harsh financial constraints. "We do recognise that in times that are as harsh and as challenging as this one, that there are persons, who may not normally...

The two-day International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Tripartite Caribbean Conference officially ended Thursday (April 2) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, in New Kingston. At the closing ceremony, a document outlining nine principles and actions deemed desirable, as the way forward in response to the current global financial crisis, was presented. These principles include: the implementation of holistic fiscal, employment and macro-economic...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, has described the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Tripartite Caribbean Conference, which opened at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel yesterday, as timely, in the context of the current global economic crisis. "I believe that economic growth and prosperity are the best starting points for any discussion towards development. As such, this conference is therefore...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, has confirmed that Labour Day, which falls on May 23, will be celebrated on Monday, May 25, this year. In an interview with JIS news today (April 1), Mr. Charles explained that the Public General Holiday Schedule outlines that if a national holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it must be...

Executive Director of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), Ransford Wright, has said that members of the disabled community are overwhelmed with the recent development of personnel being trained to assist deaf persons to obtain their driver's licences. In an interview with JIS News today (March 23), the Executive Director said that the lives of one section of...

The Jamaican deaf community is one step closer to legally acquiring driver's licences, following Wednesday's (March 11) official launch of the Sign Language Training Programme for the Testing and Certification of Deaf Drivers. The programme, which was launched at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Kingston is being handled by the Ministry of Transport and Works, in collaboration with the...

A total of 66 Jamaicans will depart the island later today for jobs in North America under the Government's Overseas Employment Programme. The amount comprises 50 farm workers, who will be working in the United States of America, and 16 persons, who will take on jobs at McDonald's franchises in Canada. Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, who...