Prime Minister Hails Workers of NSWMA

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness, has hailed employees of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), emphasising that sanitation is among the most essential public service in the country.

“If you stop, everything else stops. The markets cannot operate, the tourists begin to complain, the hospitals face higher burden and the country smells of neglect. Public sanitation protects public health. It protects our children, it protects our schools, our homes, our businesses, our tourism product, but most importantly, our national image,” he said.

Dr. Holness delivered the keynote address during the NSWMA Long-Service Awards Ceremony, held at AC Hotel in Kingston on Thursday (June 4), where employees with 15 or more years of service were honoured.

The Prime Minister shared that a visitor may come to Jamaica for the beach, music, food, or the warmth of the people, but will leave with a bad impression of the country if the work of the NSWMA is not effectively done.

“The work you do has significant national value. It has economic value, health value and human value. It speaks to the dignity of the country,” he reasoned.

Describing the employees as the backbone of public sanitation and public health in Jamaica, the Prime Minister shared that they are among the workers who make ordinary life possible.

He said their long service speaks to their character, noting that it takes discipline to remain and sacrifice to serve.

“It takes loyalty to give decades of your labour to work that is demanding and too often underappreciated… . I want every awardee here to leave with a full sense of pride. You chose service, you stayed the course, you helped to keep the country clean, safe and functional,” he said.

The Prime Minister also extended gratitude to their families, many of whom he said have carried the weight of their service by adjusting to their hours and have worried when they have to work in uncertain weather conditions.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the NSWMA and its workers.

Over the years, Dr. Holness said the Government has supported fleet expansion, including new compactor trucks, motorcycles for enforcement officers and pickup vans for fleet and enforcement operations.

Following the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October, 10 new tipper trucks were provided in December to strengthen emergency response and clean-up capacity.

“We will continue to support better systems, better tools and stronger workforce stability, and we will continue to affirm the dignity of your labour because every honest worker who serves Jamaica deserves respect,” the Prime Minister said.