Labour Minister says Ministry can be Part of Growth Agenda

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Shahine Robinson, believes the Ministry of Labour and Social Security can be repositioned as a flagship component within the Government’s economic growth agenda.
“I believe that if we fulfil our mandate by advancing programmes that are already in place and complementing these with others, we can truly make a difference in the lives of the Jamaican people,” she said.

To this end, Mrs. Robinson has committed to further improve the quality of customer service delivery by the Ministry and its agencies to clients, who include workers, the less fortunate and the most vulnerable.

She is also strengthening the partnership between the managers and staff of the head and parish offices in order to achieve this goal.
Mrs. Robinson was addressing staff at the Ministry’s St. Mary and St. Ann parish offices in Port Maria and St Ann’s Bay, respectively, during familiarization visits and meetings, on Thursday, June 23.

Noting that the Ministry was “very large,” Mrs. Robinson said it is important to have “all hands on deck,” in order to fulfil its mandate.
She acknowledged that doing so is an “awesome” responsibility, given the Ministry’s workload, particularly at the parish level, which she said was sometimes “overwhelming.”
“But, in our own way, we must try to assist them (clients) in whatever way we can, so that they leave feeling satisfied. I know that we have a good team, and I believe that if we partner together, we can achieve this,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Robinson commended the Ministry’s past and current administrators and staff for the extent and quality of services delivered to the public over the years.
She said these persons, inclusive of former Ministers and agency Board members, have gone “beyond the call of duty and given of their best.”

Permanent Secretary, Collette Roberts Risden, who accompanied Mrs. Robinson, noted that the Ministry had much work to do in its thrust to improve customer service delivery. This, she pointed out, included modernization of its operations.

In her remarks, Chief Technical Director for Social Security, Dione Jennings, encouraged the parish staff to continue working “to see how we can further improve the welcoming environment for the persons we serve at our offices.”