Attached is the 15th Annual Sanitation Workers Appreciation Day Commemorative Booklet
Here’s an excerpt from Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris’ written address to sanitation workers:“Here in St. Kitts and Nevis in the aftermath of Irma and Maria, the sanitation workers became some of the Heroes of the Hurricanes.
In fact, Hurricanes Irma and Maria – and the extensive cleanup efforts that followed – threw into sharp relief the essential role that our sanitation workers perform in maintaining environmental and public health, not just each day, but during national natural disasters.
In the early hours after the hurricanes, sanitation crews headed for the front lines to restore our communities, leaving their own homes and families in order to look out for the interests of others.
Indeed, I had the pleasure of working side by side with several of them after the passage of Hurricane Maria, as I assisted in the rehabilitation of our Bay Road and Frigate Bay Strip by helping to shovel up debris along with the Minister of Public Infrastructure and employees of Public Works.
That crystal is the traditional 15th anniversary gift is fitting, then, because this year – the 15th year of celebrating our Sanitation Workers in the Federation – it became crystal clear that employees of the Solid Waste Management Corporation, Public Works, and the Water Department, as well as other hurricane first responders such as those from Public and Environmental Health and Parks and Beaches are Our Nation’s Forgotten Heroes.
That’s why, after Hurricane Maria, my Government decided to incentivize and provide a monetary reward for our essential service workers who went beyond the call of duty during and immediately after the hurricane. Beneficiaries include employees with the Health Department, the Public Works Department and the Water Department, to name just a few agencies.
I therefore salute your dedicated work and yeoman’s service to our great country and encourage your continued commitment to performing your jobs, which the whole Nation relies on to enhance our quality of life, particularly so during our most difficult times.
May God bless you and your families bountifully as you reap your well-deserved harvest on this 15th Annual Sanitation Workers Appreciation Day!”