National Partnership Council

The National Partnership Council (NPC) comprises representatives/partners from the government, parliamentary opposition and other critical stakeholder groups in the society, who engage in respectful, constructive and sustained social dialogue and collaborate on critical national economic and social issues.

The NPC was established in 2009 under the operating rubric of Partnership for Transformation. The NPC, which has operated seamlessly across successive administrations, has spawned four (4) Agreements: the 2011 Partnership Code of Conduct; the 2013 Partnership for Jamaica; the 2016 Partnership for a Prosperous Jamaica; and the most recent four (4)-year Social Partnership Agreement 2022 – 2026 – Partnership for Jamaica’s Strong and Sustainable Recovery.

Prime Minister, The Most Honourable Andrew Michael Holness, Chairman
Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister

2022 - 2026

The Social Partnership Agreement

Jamaica has sought to use social partnership as a tool, to address some of its critical national issues.

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Partners On the National Partnership Council (NPC)

The partners include representatives from the government, parliamentary opposition, private sector, trade unions and civil society (church, youth representative, women’s representative and environment group).

Government Representatives
  • Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP – Chairman, NPC
  • Honourable Floyd Green, MP – Coordinating Minister, NPC
  • the Honourable Horace Chang, CD, MP
  • the Honourable Nigel Clarke, MP
  • Honourable Delroy Chuck, KC, MP
  • Honourable Audley Shaw, CD, MP
  • Honourable Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, OJ, CD, MP
Parliamentary Opposition Representative
  • Ambassador Anthony Hylton, MP
Private Sector Representatives
  • Metry Seaga, CD – Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ)
  • John Mahfood – Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA)
  • Michael McMorris – Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC)
  • Donovan Wignal – Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Alliance
Trade Union Representatives
  • Helene Davis Whyte, OD – Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions
  • Senator Kavan Gayle, OD – Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU)
  • Oneil Grant – Jamaica Civil Service Association
  • Senator Lambert Brown, OD – University and Allied Workers’ Union (UAWU)
  •  
Church Representative
  • Most Reverend Kenneth Richards, D.D., CD, JP – Jamaica Council of Churches
Youth Representative
  • Orville Levy
Women’s Representative
  • Nadeen Spence
Environmental Representative
  • Diana McCaulay, CD
Other Representatives

  • Academia

    • Professor Alvin Wint, OJ, CD
    • Professor Trevor Munro, CD
    • Professor Neville Ying, CD


    Committee/Working Group Chairmen

    • Reverend Lenworth Anglin, CD – Chairman, Governance Committee
    • Cmdr. George Overton – Chairman, Rule of Law Working Group
    • Honourable Donna Parchment Brown, OJ, CD, JP – Governance Committee Member

Jamaica’s Social Partnership Journey

Jamaica has sought to use social partnership as a tool, to address some of its critical national issues, similar to countries such as; Barbados, Ireland and Botswana.

A summary of the country’s social partnership journey is as follows:

1979
Electoral Advisory Committee

Establishment of an Electoral Advisory Committee with a quadripartite structure. The committee included representatives from the government, in the form of the Electoral Office of Jamaica, each of the two major political parties and civil society members

1989
National Planning Council

Establishment of the National Planning Council, with multisectoral representation, to advise the government on national planning matters.

1997
ACORN

ACORN, the social dialogue group led by civil society players, was formed with quadripartite membership from civil society, trade unions, the private sector and government employees.

2003
Partnership for Progress

Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ), initiated deliberations around a Partnership for Progress.

2008
National Social Partnership Consultative Committee

Government of Jamaica (GOJ) launched a National Social Partnership Consultative Committee, which encompassed representatives from government, the parliamentary opposition, private sector, trade unions and civil society groups.

2009
Jamaica’s National Partnership Council

Establishment of Jamaica’s National Partnership Council (NPC) under the operating rubric of Partnership for Transformation. The NPC, which has operated seamlessly across successive administrations, has spawned four (4) Agreements: the 2011 Partnership Code of Conduct; the 2013 Partnership for Jamaica; the 2016 Partnership for a Prosperous Jamaica; and the most recent four (4)-year Social Partnership Agreement – Partnership for Jamaica’s Strong and Sustainable Recovery.

Jamaica has enjoyed several benefits from this history of social dialogue and partnership and the GOJ intends to continue the process.