Holness and Golding press unity as Jamaica marks Labour Day 2026

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding used Labour Day 2026 to urge Jamaicans to pull together as the country continues recovery from Hurricane Melissa and faces wider economic and social pressures.

Holness said the holiday carried added weight this year because communities are still rebuilding after the hurricane. He said government has committed more than $67 billion to relief and recovery, including $10 billion for the ROOFS programme to assist assessed households with roof repairs and essential home fixes. He also said support had gone toward school and home repairs, electricity restoration through JPS, and debris removal in affected parishes.

The Prime Minister defended the handling of donated recovery funds, saying $600 million of the $1.4 billion received will help prepare foundations for the first 900 pre-built housing units now in Jamaica. He said remaining funds will go toward roofing supplies for the state-led repair programme. At the Labour Day national project in St Elizabeth, Holness added that about 3,000 modular units are being pursued through support from China, the Ministry of Housing and the Red Cross, with a small Westmoreland community planned for people displaced from the Petersfield High School shelter.

Golding said Labour Day should remind Jamaicans of the struggles of workers in 1938 and the movement toward self-government and independence. He praised nurses, teachers, police, farmers, factory workers, hotel staff, transport operators, vendors and small business owners, saying workers must have a stronger voice in national priorities.

In other national news, Jamaica Post is to resume parcel shipments to the United States on June 1 after introducing a system to calculate and collect duties before packages leave Jamaica. The service had been suspended after a United States executive order ended duty-free treatment for many low-value imports.

The business report said the PropX Investment Conference returned to Travellers Beach Resort from May 24 to 30, attracting local, diaspora and overseas investors. Organisers said the 2025 staging generated more than US$3 million in deals. Liberty Business also signalled continued private-sector digital investment as Jamaica moves closer to 5G.

Regionally, Barbados welcomed Air Peace’s scheduled Lagos-to-Barbados service, which officials said could deepen trade, tourism and cultural links between Africa and the Caribbean. In sport, Reggae Girlz captain Khadija “Bunny” Shaw signed a new Manchester City contract through 2030.