Jamaica News: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the proposed Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme will be discussed by the legislation committee of Cabinet on Wednesday (April 3).
The Minister made the disclosure while addressing the Tourism Service Excellence Awards (TSEA) held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James on Saturday (March 30).
The pension scheme is designed to provide retirement benefits for all industry workers, whether they are permanent, contract or self-employed. Hotel workers, tour operators, contract carriage operators, among others, will be eligible for benefits that will be payable at age 65 and older.
Minister Bartlett expressed confidence that the scheme will be approved by Cabinet following Wednesday’s deliberations.
“When approved, I believe I will be able to take it to Parliament on the day I make my Budget presentation,” he said, noting that the objective is to provide “a complete pension plan” for workers in the tourism industry.
“The workers… must have more because that is the back end of your contribution. At the front end is training and building your capacity to do better and to do more and to earn more, to create an opportunity for a new labour market arrangement within the tourism industry,” the Minister added.
The annual TSEA awards, organised by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), seek to recognise and reward tourism entities and individuals that have consistently provided exemplary service within the tourism industry.
The Half Moon hotel in Montego Bay and Training Manager at the facility, Conroy Thompson, walked away with the coveted organisation and individual awards, respectively.
Source: JIS News