Hundreds of Labour Day Projects Registered in the West

Preparations for Labour Day 2015 are in high gear in western Jamaica, with hundreds of projects already registered with the St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St. James, Trelawny, and St. Ann Parish Councils.

In keeping with the national theme: ‘Labour of Love, Nurturing Our Children’, the focus is on the repair and beautification of child-friendly spaces.

In St. James, the parish project is the rehabilitation of the Cornwall Court Kiddies’ Park, which will also see the erection of solar powered security lights.

In addition, work will be done on the Norwood Community Centre as well as a clean-up project on the roadway leading into the Rhyne Park housing settlement in Rose Hall.

Mayor of Montego Bay and Co-chairman of the St. James Labour Day Committee, Councillor Glendon Harris, said the work on the Cornwall court Kiddies’ Park is estimated to cost $700,000, while some $450,000 has been budgeted for the Norwood Community Centre.

Over in Hanover, the parish project is improvement works at the Hilloughby Basic School in Cascade. The facility’s roof will be mended, and painting and repair works will also be undertaken.

Secretary Manager of the Westmoreland Parish Council, Opal Beharie, told JIS News that the Jerusalem Mountain Community Centre will be rehabilitated at a cost of $1.2 million.

She said pre-labour day work has already started and will continue through to

May 25. Mrs. Beharie said the project will not be completed on Labour Day, but should get to the stage where it can be used by the citizens.

The parish project for St. Elizabeth is the Mannings’ Boys Home in Southfield, where major repairs will be carried out.

Black River’s Mayor, Councillor Everton Fisher, told JIS News that the aim is to provide a more comfortable environment for the boys, who reside on the 26-acre property.

In Trelawny, residents will be engaged in the cleaning and beautification of the Uriah Rowe Park in Falmouth.

Mayor of Falmouth and Chairman of the Trelawny Parish Council, Councillor Garth Wilkinson, told JIS News that work on Labour Day will entail repair of the security fence, painting, and planting of shade and ornamental trees on the grounds.

The secondary project is the repair of the roof of the Hague Community Centre, also in Falmouth.

Over in St. Ann, the parish project is the Widow’s Mite Children’s Home in Murray Mountain where rehabilitation work will be carried out.

This will include repair and painting of the building, tiling of floors, and cleaning and planting of the vegetable and flower gardens at the home.

The HEART/NTA-North East Regional Offices will be partnering with the St. Ann Parish Council on the project.

Labour Day is usually observed on May 23 each year. However, the day is being observed on Monday, May 25 this year.

The national project is the upgrading of the Rudolph Elder Park in Morant Bay, St. Thomas, to create a safe recreational space for children.

The observation of Labour Day forms part of Jamaica’s celebration of Workers’ Week from May 17 to 25, which provides time for reflection on the labour uprisings of the 1930s, and the sacrifices made by workers locally and regionally to gain freedom and rights, notably the freedom to representation at work.