Workers honoured at inaugural StJPC awards

Fifty-eight employees of the St James Parish Council were given various awards at the council's inaugural Staff Awards, which was staged at the Seawind Beach Club, Montego Bay, last week.

The awards, the brainchild of the council's Public and Communications Unit, saw staff members being recognised for long and dedicated service as well as excellence.

Neville Campbell, a lifeguard at the Sunset Beach Club on Kent Avenue in Montego Bay, and Zonia Porter, a records clerk in the Municipal Department and Commercial Services Unit, were showered with accolades for serving the council for more than 40 years.

"I really love the job ... I love to work with people," said Campbell. "With this job, I was able to feed my family, build a home, and send six children to school. I am now being retired ... I am off on pre-retirement leave since May 11 and I am missing the job ... after September, I will be fully retired."

Merlyn James Russell, an Inspector of the Poor; and Donna Wilson, of the Accounts Department, were also among the distinguished long servers, serving the council for 36 and 35 years, respectively.

Among the 11 individual awards, Elizabeth Stone, who works in the Administration Department, was the toast among her co-workers as she walked away with the coveted Early Bird Award for her impressive record of being always on time for work.

In his address, Montego Bay's mayor, Councillor Glendon Harris, the chairman of the parish council, commended the awardees for their service and enviable stewardship.

vote of thanks

"In life, people do not often take the time to say thank you or I love you, so today, I want to celebrate with you and thank you for your service to the St James Parish Council, the parish of St James, and Jamaica land we love," said Harris. "We really appreciate your service, and you should continue what you have been doing because we are one family ... . Let us keep the family bond even closer, tighter, and stronger."

Denzil Thorpe, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, used the opportunity to heap praises on the council for taking the time out to recognise the value and worth of its staff.

"The aim to foster camaraderie, improve productivity, and encourage best practices adds more significance to this venture than anything else," said Thorpe. "I must commend the municipality for recognising the value of and rewarding the hard work of the dedicated staff, who have been providing excellent service to the people of Montego Bay."

Yoni Epstein, president of the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica, also praised the idea of celebrating excellence, saying dedicated workers are a key component in keeping the Government's apparatus functioning properly.