Helene Davis-Whyte

Helene Davis-Whyte (born 1956) is a Jamaican trade union activist and the general secretary of the Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers (JALGO), which represents 5,000 workers in local and national government and quasi-government agencies in Jamaica. She is also a vice-president of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions.

Early life Helene Davis was one of four children. Her father was a businessman, and she says her childhood was a prosperous and happy one. She attended Queens High School in Kingston. But while in her Sixth form, her father's business began to fail. She dropped out of school to go to work and support the family. "Sometimes I left home without breakfast; I never had the lunch money and when I got home, I was not sure that I would see dinner," she said.

She had her first child at the age of 19. Although married, she moved in with a sister (who was also a single parent) to make ends meet. Her nomination was a tumultuous one, and nearly caused a riot on the convention floor. pushed for reorganization of public welfare services, and urged a collaborative approach to policy making in which unions would participate in commissions, boards and advisory bodies in order to alleviate the impact of austerity measures.

Education Helene Davis-Whyte holds an associate degree in business studies and professional certificates in trade union studies and labour economics.