Prime Minister Urges Jamaicans to Embrace the Spirit of Volunteerism
Prime Minister Andrew Holness says Jamaicans must embrace the spirit of volunteerism to advance the country’s development agenda. “This Government intends to ensure that while we pursue economic growth and job creation, we equally pursue the sustainable development of our country. That means we will be engaging the people of Jamaica through the education and health sectors, media and communications in getting us to voluntarily use our efforts and our labour to secure our environment.” The Prime Minister was speaking at the Launch of Workers’ Week and Labour Day at Jamaica House on Friday, May 6, 2016.
The Prime Minister said the Government will be looking at developing a policy on work, which will focus on volunteerism. “We will be institutionalizing this policy by building a partnership with the people and organizations. We can achieve so much if we are coordinated, organized and motivated. We can contribute and build the country through volunteerism,” he emphasised.
The National Project on Labour Day will take place at Gregory Park and Washington Mews in Portmore to identify and destroy mosquito breeding sites. Prime Minister Andrew Holness used the opportunity to appeal to residents “to volunteer your time, your labour and your effort to clean up your community. We want to have an impact on the breeding sites for mosquitoes and reduce the spread of the Zika Virus in Jamaica.” He added that managing the environment must be sustained and encouraged the residents to continue volunteering their efforts beyond Labour Day.
Labour Day 2016, a collaborative effort by the Ministries of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, Labour and Social Security, Local Government and Community Development, will be observed on May 23 under the theme “For Health’s Sake…Keep it Clean”. Workers’ Week commences on May 15 and will culminate on Labour Day.