Holness uses Labour Day 2026 message to press hurricane recovery and national productivity

Prime Minister Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness has used his Labour Day 2026 message to call Jamaicans into national service, linking the holiday to Hurricane Melissa recovery, community repair work, storm readiness and a wider push for productivity.

Holness said Jamaica’s rebuilding remains urgent because some families are still without secure housing, community facilities and steady income after the hurricane. He said the Government has committed more than $67 billion to relief and recovery, including $10 billion for the ROOFS programme to provide grants to assessed households for damaged roofs and essential home repairs.

The Prime Minister said schools and homes are being repaired, while JPS received government support to help restore electricity across the island. He also pointed to a major debris-clearing effort in affected parishes involving the National Housing Trust, the Ministry of Housing and assistance from the Government of China.

More than 2,700 semi-permanent modular housing units have been obtained for Jamaicans assessed as having lost their homes and unable to rebuild immediately, Holness said. Those units need reinforced concrete bases before installation. He said $600 million of the $1.44 billion donated for hurricane recovery will be used to build foundations for the first 900 pre-built units now in Jamaica, with the balance going toward roofing materials to support the government-led repair programme.

Holness urged Jamaicans to use Labour Day for practical work such as fixing schools and clinics, clearing community spaces, cleaning drains and checking their own homes. With the 2026 hurricane season days away, he encouraged households to review emergency supplies, service generators, inspect roofs, trim dangerous trees and clear blocked drains and culverts.

He also used the message to argue that Jamaica must become more disciplined, productive and efficient. Higher wages and improved living standards, he said, must be matched by stronger output, better use of resources and performance-based accountability, especially in the public sector.

Holness said the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority has been established to coordinate the rebuilding effort with speed, transparency and discipline, while proving that Jamaica can recover stronger after disaster.