STATE MINISTER CALLS FOR JAMAICANS TO ADOPT/FOSTER A CHILD

­­­­­­­­­­­­Kingston, Jamaica: Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Hon. Marsha Smith, MP, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service is calling for Jamaicans to foster or adopt a child as the new public sector leave becomes effective. She urged civil servants to make use of the opportunity once it takes effect.

“This [public sector leave] is an opportunity for other Jamaicans who have the capacity and the ability to take and foster a child. If you are a public servant you’re going to be given an opportunity to get those weeks to settle that child in before you go back to work fully.” 

She was speaking during the Civil Service Week Public Forum at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Tuesday, November 22, 2022.

The Government of Jamaica (GOJ) is set to modernise the public sector through a series of transformations to meet the needs of public servants as well as to compete with local private and international markets. Maternity Leave has been increased from 40 working days to 60 working days. The GOJ has also introduced Paternity Leave for fathers of newborns and Family Leave for adoptive parents who are bringing a new child into the home.

Meanwhile, keynote speaker at the event, Zachary Harding, Executive Chairman, Delta Capital Partners Limited applauds the Government for acknowledging civil servants and described the signing of the compensation agreement by the trade unions as a massive step in the right direction.

“I’ve been watching the week of activities and I think it’s important because far too often we don’t recognise and celebrate the people who are doing the work. So I think it’s a wonderful initiative to have this Civil Service Week… The new compensation package reflects the respect that the government shows for the civil servants and will certainly put them in a better position in terms of them being able to live a better life and encourage other people to join the civil service.”

Hon. Audrey Sewell, OJ, CD, JP, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation during her presentation encouraged public servants to be accountable because it allows them to improve behaviour, productivity and output.

Meanwhile, O’Neil Grant, President of the Civil Service Association commended the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service for prioritising the people during the public transformation exercise.

Civil Service Week 2022 is being celebrated during the week of November 20-26, 2022 under the theme, ‘The Public Sector: Forging Ahead with Determination’.

Among the remaining activities are a Jamaica Civil Service Long Service Awards Ceremony, Domino Knockout Session, Vintage Night After-Work Lyme and an island-wide church service across all chapters.

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For further information contact: 

Corporate Communication & Public Relations Branch

Ministry of Finance and the Public Service

30 National Heroes Circle

Kingston 4

Tel: (876) 932-4656/4660/4655

Email:  Shelly-Ann.Weeks@mof.gov.jm; Shakiel.Rochester-Shorter@mof.gov.jm