Minister Mckenzie Hails Country’s Sanitation Workers

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has commended the country’s sanitation workers for their contribution to nation-building.

He noted that their work in collecting waste and keeping public spaces clean ensures healthy and hygienic communities, which makes Jamaica a better place.

He urged them to take pride in the vital service that they provide and to never feel that they are less than any other professional.

Minister McKenzie was addressing SPM Waste Management Limited’s Long Service Awards held on Thursday (June 18), at the Garden Hotel in Mandeville, Manchester.

Under the theme ‘Honouring Dedication, Celebrating Excellence, Inspiring the Future’, the function recognised 134 workers for dedicated service of between 15 and 30 years. Omar Montague and Richard Whyne were honored as 30-year award recipients.

Minister McKenzie noted the Government’s commitment to sanitation workers by transitioning thousands of staff from contract to permanent employment, providing them with job security, improved compensation, and comprehensive benefits like life insurance, health plans, and a pension scheme.

He noted that the process is ongoing.

“Already, some 2,000 are employed on a permanent basis. Employment status was made secure, we provided training for workers and put in uniforms,’’ the Minister pointed out.

Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Audley Gordon, said he was “honoured to lead a team of some of the finest landfill workers, garage operators and sanitation workers in Jamaica”.

“This evening we are not honouring years of service, we are honouring dedication to duty,” he said.

He noted that the country’s sanitation staff are “some of the most hard-working, dedicated, committed, reliable and patriotic workers who can be found anywhere in Jamaica”.

Mr. Gordon said that among the team are “some of the finest accountants in the country”, who have ensured accurate and timely statutory filings.

“We set about tidying up our finances and where there was a protracted period without audited financial statements, we not only tidied that up but for the last five years we are filing on time,” he boasted, adding that the filing of annual reports is also on schedule.