Forty-two farm laborers departed Jamaica on Thursday, August 3, bound for Canada, where they will be engaged in a work program in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
Jamaica’s Ministry of Labor and Social Security’s Overseas Employment Services Centre in downtown Kingston witnessed the traditional farewell ceremony held in honor of these workers.
It was during this occasion that the Portfolio Minister, Pearnel Charles Jr., conveyed a significant message to the departing workers.
The Minister emphasized the importance of representing their homeland positively in the foreign land.
Minister Charles Jr stressed that the impressions formed about the island would depend significantly on the workers’ interactions and work ethics.
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Workers as nation’s ambassadors
In his address, the Minister also highlighted the workers’ dual role – as laborers and as ambassadors of their country.
He also cautioned them against having misplaced priorities that might tarnish their image as representatives of their homeland.
The minister further mentioned that a document informing them of their rights had been provided to the workers by the Ministry.
The ministry’s overseas employment program
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security has been managing the Overseas Employment Program since 1953. The initiative aims to streamline the selection and recruitment of Jamaican workers for various programs in the United States and Canada.
It has opened up employment avenues for Jamaican workers in diverse sectors, such as agriculture and hospitality, catering to both the domestic needs of these foreign nations and the economic needs of the workers from the island.
