Sports and Culture Minister Olvia Grange says the focus of this year’s Labour Day, which will unfold on Monday, will be on the restoration of early childhood, sports and community facilities, which were damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Speaking at last Sunday's National Worker's Week and Labour Day Thanksgiving Church Service, in Montego Bay, St James, Grange said the spirit of volunteerism is needed more than ever as Jamaica braces for the beginning of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which starts on June 1 - eight months after Hurricane Melissa devastated western Jamaica last October.

"Many of our towns, many homes, many of our institutions, and many community spaces were devastated by Hurricane Melissa, and we have been called as a people to rise up and build,” said Grange. “Each Labour Day, we come together to volunteer our time and work in service of our communities and our country, and in times like these, voluntary community service is needed more than ever.