NWC honours 969 long-serving staff as Holness details water projects

The National Water Commission used its Service Excellence Award Gala on July 2 to salute 969 employees with 15 years or more of service, while senior government officials tied the ceremony to wider plans for Jamaica's water sector. Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Water Minister Matthew Samuda and NWC executives all praised the loyalty of the staff and pointed to new infrastructure spending and internal reforms. Employees with 15 to 29 years of service were recognised earlier, while those with 30 years and more were presented during the evening programme.

Acting president Kevin Carr said long-serving workers had carried the commission through decades of change in technology, customer growth and service delivery. Vice-president of Corporate Services Andrea Edwards-Jars said the awardees reflected years of commitment, with many of them giving more than 30 years to the utility. Board chairman Michael Shaw said almost half the workforce was being honoured for 15 years or more, adding that this level of continuity supports stability and the transfer of institutional knowledge. Councillor Louise Nuland, representing Opposition Leader Mark Golding, also congratulated the awardees and said their work helps homes, schools, hospitals, businesses and communities to depend on water service across Jamaica.

Samuda said the NWC's 46-year history had been built by workers in engineering, customer service, sewage operations and other departments. He said the Government had approved what he described as the commission's largest salary restructuring package, had moved to settle retroactive issues and was still working through pension matters with the unions. He also said more than J$15 billion would be invested in the water network this financial year through public agencies and the NWC, while the World Bank has estimated Jamaica needs between US$5 billion and US$5.5 billion in water infrastructure spending.

Holness said the commission's workforce of more than 2,600 employees was notable for both its size and tenure, with more than half serving longer than 15 years. He pointed to the roughly US$170 million first phase of the Northwestern Water Supply Project, part of a wider programme he said would total close to US$500 million, along with a public-private project to move Rio Cobre water to Kingston, Spanish Town and sections of Portmore. He also said the Government would make major investments in downtown Kingston's sewage network and noted that the NWC carries out daily water quality checks across the island.

During the awards segment, staff with 37 to 42 years of service were called first, and Dave Richards of the St Ann division was identified as the longest-serving awardee at 42 years.