KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Workers’ Week and Labour Day 2018 will be launched on May 1, at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).

This year, Labour Day will be observed on Wednesday, May 23, while celebrations for Workers’ Week will begin on Monday, May 14 and culminate on Labour Day.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, is expected to deliver the main address at the launch.

Over the past weeks, members of a National Planning Committee, including representatives of key ministries and agencies, have been meeting to discuss the programme for Workers’ Week and Labour Day.

The Committee, chaired by the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, is responsible for the organisation of all activities relating to the National Launch, the National Thanksgiving Service and the activities for both Workers’ Week and Labour Day.

Speaking with JIS News following a committee meeting yesterday at Jamaica House, Grange said the two areas of focus for this year’s activities will be Health and Education.

She explained that this will involve the upgrading of health centres and the building of wheelchair ramps to facilitate access to the ground floor of public schools.

“We will have two areas of focus this year for national projects, and that is a focus on a health centre that will be repaired and the building of ramps in particular schools,” she said.

 Grange said that further details relating to the National Labour Day Projects as well as the parish projects will be unveiled at the launch ceremony.

The minister lauded the work of the committee and subcommittees, noting that she was impressed with what has been done.

“The Labour Day Planning Committee, so far, has done an excellent job in pulling together the plans for Labour Day,” she added.

She is inviting the private sector, the Opposition and community organisations “to come on board and to be a part of this national team that will see to the implementation of the programme across the island”.

Grange said letters were sent to all the mayors in each municipal corporation to seek their support for the islandwide activities.

Labour Day is a day when communities participate in work projects across the island, while Workers’ Week activities are held to recognise Jamaican workers and National Hero, Excellent Sam Sharpe, who was martyred on May 23, 1832, as a result of his determination that slavery should be abolished.