What are the latest news in Jamaica?
Economy & Public Sector
- Public-Sector Wage Agreement: The Government of Jamaica and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) signed a new three-year wage agreement (2025–2028). The deal features an $80,000 tax-free grant in the first year and a 5% salary increase for both the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years.
- Student Debt Relief: The Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) extended its debt reset initiative through December 2026 to assist borrowers dealing with financial strain.
- Drought Measures & Water Grid: As prolonged dry conditions and low rainfall strain water storage across eastern parishes, the government has ramped up water trucking to vulnerable areas and introduced prohibition orders to curb water depletion. Simultaneously, progress continues on the US$170 million Western Resilience Water Programme to connect and balance supplies between higher-rainfall and high-demand zones.
- Resource Exploration: Barrick Gold narrowed its gold exploration targets in Jamaica to three key zones as exploratory drilling approaches.
- Coopers Pen Housing Relocation: Following the demolition of 20 informal settlement homes in Coopers Pen, Trelawny, a relocation initiative has been outlined to assist roughly 99 affected residents.
- Health Research Investment: The government committed a $50 million investment aimed at strengthening health talent and medical research capacity.
- Schoolboy Football Climate Protocols: The Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) announced plans to introduce hydration breaks for upcoming school football competitions to protect student-athletes from extreme heat conditions.