On the heels of Barbados’ 20th murder for 2019 this afternoon, Attorney General Dale Marshall and Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith are once again assuring Barbadians that all steps are being taken to arrest the ugly spike in gun violence.

Following a briefing at Parliament this afternoon, shortly after a man was fatally shot in the food court at Sheraton Mall, Christ Church around 1:50 p.m., the AG and Commissioner Griffith sought to reassure the public that police were doing all they can to bring the situation under control.

[caption id="attachment_292209" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Attorney General Dale Marshall and Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith during today’s briefing.[/caption]

“We have a plan and we are sticking to our plan. We know that we will get the results that we want. Many of these shooting incidents are reprisals and based on that it is kind of difficult because the co-operation is not really there from individuals who from time to time are being attacked.

“However, we will make sure that we do all in our power to wrestle this ugly situation to the ground. We intend to find these perpetrators and bring them before the court in a short space of time,” Griffith said.

The Commissioner extended condolences the family of the man who was killed today. He said the deceased was being sought by police for some time in connection with other serious matters.

According to the top cop, his officers were looking for a suspect in connection with today’s shooting. Shortly after Griffith made this announcement, police reportedly had two persons of interest, a man and woman, assisting with the investigations.

“We have a suspect related to the matter in custody who was the driver of the vehicle that the suspect was in. And we are assiduously pursuing the investigations. So I just want to assure the public that they can rest assured that we are going to get the perpetrators and we are going to arrest this ugly state of affairs,” he updated.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General added that the suspect who was being pursued was on bail for murder charge, and was suspected to be involved in yet another murder.

“So if the evidence holds true, then you can see the nature of what we are talking about,” Marshall said.

“And that has been what we have been seeing in most of these shooting incidents. The perpetrators and the victims are all persons who are on bail for very serious crimes,” Commissioner Griffith explained.

The Attorney General thanked the members of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) for the work they have been doing to arrest the crime situation.

He explained that senior officers have been making sacrifices, including not travelling overseas to attend law enforcement conferences.

“They recognize more than anybody else that there is a whole country at stake. So they have given up opportunities themselves, to be able to stay on the ground and deal with this situation. I would like to repeat the Commissioner’s assurance, we are on the job and we will get this done,” Marshall said.

The post Police on the job – AG appeared first on Barbados Today.

Although welcoming Government’s decision to pay out the vast majority of CLICO claims and investments, the group that champions the cause of policyholders and investors of the collapsed CLICO Life Insurance Company, is wondering how the payoff is going to work.

The Barbados Investors and Policyholders Alliance (BIPA) has said there is need for clarity from the Ministry of Finance, a day after Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Mia Mottley announced the decision during the Budget speech  to the House of Assembly.

BIPA chairman June Fowler told Barbados TODAY: “Our main concern at this stage is to get clarification of the exact derails and how each and every class of policyholder will be treated.  Also, given the advanced age of many policyholders, we will be hoping that provision will be made to enable transfer or trade the 15 year bonds.”

The Prime Minister outline a payment plan for 8,944 policyholders.  An additional 1,394 policyholders or 12 per cent of the company’s portfolio are to receive at least half of their claims and holdings in cash.

While acknowledging that Government would be unable to repay all policyholders the entire amounts owed to them, the Prime Minister said an effort was being made to ensure that these individuals received at least some of their money.

But while welcoming the announcement, the BIPA chair took a swipe at the court-appointed Judicial Manager for CLICO.

Fowler said: “BIPA’s first response is that the Judicial Manager has turned out to be the winner in this debacle, having been charging substantial fees since 2011,”

That aside, BIPA is relieved that this “desperately sad affair” was finally coming to an end, she added.

The Prime Minister also announced that the holders of the controversial high-yield, high-risk EFPA would be paid back their principal in special 15-year bonds, but only at the interest rate of 0.25 per cent over the 15 year period.   

Althought disappointed with the huge haircut planned for EFPA holders, Fowler said: “The fact that EFPA policyholders will, as promised by the previous administration, receive their principal in full, albeit over 15, as opposed to the originally planned ten years, is of some comfort. Their loss of interest however is another matter altogether.”

The CLICO policyholders’ spokesperson added that BIPA would seek an urgent meeting with Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn in advance of upcoming town hall meetings to ensure BIPA fully understands the details of what has been outlined by the Prime Minister.

Mottley had also revealed that two weeks ago, Cabinet approved the winding up of Resolution Life (ResLife), the court-sanctioned successor of CLICO. But Fowler said she was not surprised at this.

She told Barbados TODAY: “BIPA was not surprised about the decision to wind up ResLife as we were also concerned that no effort had been made to start selling insurance and investment products. The way things have turned out, that was a blessing in disguise for potential policyholders.”

The post BIPA welcomes CLICO resolution, ‘seeks details’ appeared first on Barbados Today.

Commuters and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators have frowned on Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s decision to increase bus fares by 75 per cent, complaining that the sharp increase was simply too much, too soon.

During Wednesday’s Budget speech, the PM said the government-owned Transport Board and PSV stakeholders were forced to operate under an untenable situation under a $2 fare.

However in the Constitution River Terminal in Bridgetown, even conductors and drivers of PSV’s said the increase would likely do more harm than good.

“I feel it is going to be a little bit hard on people because when it was raised to two dollars people couldn’t even pay you and people were coming with short money. So when it increases to 3.50, it will have a serious impact on a lot of people,” said one female conductor.

She added that PSV workers, who do not own the vehicle they operate, would likely face exorbitant increases in operating costs.

“I work a leased bus, so I have to wait and see what happens when that time comes, whether my lease will rise or stay the same.  I don’t know what the owners will do when April comes. A lot of things will happen when that bus fare is raised. People will be calling for a lot of things,” she said.

Another owner/driver chimed in: “Honestly I know it had to go up. I was saying three dollars would have been a little better for the passengers. I was even talking to some of my colleagues and saying that we could carry school children at a lower rate to help ease the pockets of the traveling public.

The owner, however, admitted that the increase could provide much-needed assistance for the viability of his business.

“It will help, because diesel has gone up, the cost of tires and basic things like paint have gone up so it will take some of the pressure off of you., But you still don’t want to put too much on the passengers, because these are hard economic times,” he said while adding that the service offered by PSV operators desperately needed to improve.

“There are too many guys doing lawlessness on the road who are not wearing the uniform and those things need to be stamped out,” he said.

Commuters, on the other hand, told Barbados TODAY that the increase was simply adding insult to injury given the tough measures already placed on the backs of the working class.

One woman, who only wanted to be identified as Monica said: “If she [Prime Minister Mia Mottley said three dollars that would be manageable, but $3.50 is very hard on people.”

[caption id="attachment_292207" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Monica, a frequent commuter said the bus fare increase was simply too much.[/caption]

She also complained that the standard of service provided by PSV’s left a lot to be desired.

“I think that they are just putting more money in the people’s pockets, because some of these ZR’s don’t work properly. They don’t come into the stand so we have to walk out on the road to catch them. It’s not fair and bus fare has increased and they are feeling joy because more money is being put into their pockets.”

Pensioner, Lisle Walcott had a slightly different perspective on the matter.

“It will become hard for people now because it is a sudden something that a lot of people weren’t expecting to happen or for it to be that high, but they will become accustomed to it and will put that amount of money aside to help them out so I don’t think that it’s all that bad,” he said.  

[caption id="attachment_292206" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Lisle Walcott predicts the increased bus fare will be painful at first, but Barbadians would soon get used to it.[/caption]

Meanwhile, another pensioner who preferred to remain anonymous predicted that the measures could have a lasting impact on some commuters.

“It’s not going to impact me really, because I am a pensioner, but it’s going to have an impact on families too and people who are not working that have to send the children to school. They may not have the money to do it, so it is going to have an impact on them socially and financially,” he said.

The post Fare hike too steep appeared first on Barbados Today.

The tussle over what price the Government and taxpayers can bear to attract an iconic all-inclusive hotel brand took another twist today as Sandals Resorts denied it was requesting anything more than what Bay Street had already promised.

This was in response to suggestions by Prime Minister Mia Mottley last night that the hotel chain’s Beaches brand takeover of the former Almond Beach Resort at Heywood, St Peter, was in danger of falling through.

She hinted of deadlock between her ten-month-old administration and Sandals after rejecting requests by the hotel chain for concessions that would be binding on future Parliaments of Barbados.

[caption id="attachment_292222" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Flashback: Prime Minister Mia Mottley (left) and Sandals chairman Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart tour the area where Sandals Beaches is set to open.[/caption]

The Prime Minister reeled off a series of documented requests that appeared unprecedented in international trade and commerce, domestic public policy and Barbadian history.

Sandals asked to be “made whole” in respect of concessions granted to future hotel developers if their terms are superior to those granted to Sandals - the equivalent, the Prime Minister said, of holding Most Favoured Nation status.

The Beaches concessions echoed the controversial deal sought by and granted Sandals for its original properties from the Freundel Stuart administration.

But while not directly addressing fears that the Beaches Barbados project would be cancelled, Sandals said in a statement that it remained committed to Barbados.

During her maiden Budget speech, the Prime revealed that Sandals was seeking to be “indemnified if any future Parliament at any stage in the next 40 years were ever to tax them for anything in the industry for any goods or services that others in the industry were paying taxes for”.

The Prime Minister said in Parliament: “We welcome Sandals here and the jobs it has provided and everything it is doing in Barbados. we are certainly open for business, but it cannot be at any price. And in our current predicament in the middle of an IMF programme Mr Speaker, there is a limit even to what we can accept.”

With more than 550-rooms and over $600 million invested between its two properties in Christ Church, the Sandals chain currently provides more than 1,100 jobs for Barbados at Sandals Barbados and Sandals Royal Barbados.

The promised $840 million (US$420 million) Beaches Resort project slated for the old Almond Beach Resort promises to provide hundreds more jobs.

Barbados TODAY reached out to Sandals executives this morning for a response to the Prime Minister’s charges and to confirm whether the project would continue or be pulled.

A Sandals spokesman would not be drawn on the issues the Prime Minister raised, and the company issued a release hours later, saying it took note of Mottley’s statement about the stalled progress of the talks “and would like to state that this development is equally disappointing for us”.

“Let me state clearly we have no regrets. Even though a huge amount of money has already been spent on beach work and on development plans, engineering and architecture and a large and able projects team comprising the very best personnel; the fact is we know that both sides worked very hard to try and make this project a reality,” said the statement from the chain owned by Jamaican magnate Gordon Butch Stewart.

Sandals assured the Prime Minister and Barbadians that it remained “fully committed to supporting and working alongside all stakeholders for the future growth and development of the island”.

While pointing to growing confidence in the Barbados economy over the past year, Sandals spoke of having “greatest” respect for the Prime Minister but denied asking for anything other than what was initially promised.

Sandals continued: “We were not asking for anything more than what was promised. The Beaches project, at over US$420 million would have represented not only our largest single one-time development, but the largest long term hotel project in Barbados.

“Such a large project carries the concomitant long-term risks, and as such our lenders who are the banks, as well as our Board were seeking a level of stability by having parliamentary approval of the concessions that were already promised, which in the 21st century, is now the norm.”

The company said it understood that every government had its particular priorities and policies and it “fully respected Government’s position in this regard, and we would never want to put them in a compromising situation”.

The Sandals group is not new to controversy or pulling out of various markets.

In 1992, Stewart bought the Paradise Beach property in St Michael, but later abandoned it after it was hit by legal wrangling and other unresolved issues.

Earlier this year, the hotel chain pulled out of Tobago due to what the company said then was too much badgering and bad publicity.

In late 2017, the company was also involved in a disagreement with the Antigua and Barbuda government over tax agreements in that territory.

In its release this afternoon, the company said since its time in Barbados, it found that working with the department of tourism was very “enjoyable and productive”, especially in the island’s number one source market – the UK – as well as North America.

Also pointing to the linkages formed with local suppliers and farmers, Sandals said it understood the disappointment all around “because of the anticipated impact
of Beaches, which would have moved our total employment on island to 3,000 persons, and when combined with the other two resorts, would have resulted in an annual economic injection into the economy of Barbados of over US$100 million each and every year”.

But the hotel chain said though disappointing, the current development in no way affected its “excellent relationship” with Barbados and that it would continue to “work toward doing more and more for the island because we remain confident that Barbados is in good hands”. marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

The post ‘We’re in’ appeared first on Barbados Today.

Government’s 75 per cent bus fare hike has been strongly rebuked by Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that from April 15, bus fares would be increased from $2 to $3.50.

However, while Atherley admitted that an argument could be made for bus fares to be increased, he said $3.50 was too much to ask Barbadians to pay, especially at a time they could ill afford to do so.

“One could argue a case easily for increased bus fares, but one could not comfortably count on such an increase in the current context of unemployment, rising costs of food and other essentials, increasing levels of taxation, water and sewage charges,” Atherley charged during his reply to the Budget in Parliament this afternoon.

“To compare the change in cost of bus fare to the change in cost of a Coke is to appear to trivialize the pain of those you seek to serve. Bus fare is a necessity for most people in this country...”

He further contended that the increase was not enough to put a big enough dent in Government’s annual bill of $45 million which is used to subsidise the Transport Board.

“This increase in bus fares cannot fully close the $45 million gap. I know the Minister of Transport would easily suggest this will help, but it doesn’t go far enough in helping us to fill that big gap and address that problem...This bus fare will mean some pain but it doesn’t get us where we want to get in terms of addressing that big cost gap at the Transport Board,” he contended.

“The minister would have to say that, but from my side it would be my responsibility to ask if and to what extent the gap will further be filled by layoffs at the Transport Board.

“If you have a $65 million annual bill and you are making $20 million annually from bus fares and you raise the bus fares so much that you make another $15 million or so for the year you are still short. There is a significant gap still to be filled,” Atherley pointed out.

He queried whether more layoffs would be coming to the state owned enterprise in an effort to cut costs.

The Opposition Leader also enquired whether Government was paving the way for a higher fare for its investor or investors in the revenue-sharing electric buses project.

“We anticipate that we will have to satisfy the investment interest of those who seek to enter into revenue-sharing investments,” Atherley said.

“Are we attempting to save the sector and service, or are we attempting to save the entity we call the Transport Board? We need to have a service and we need to have a sector.” randybennett@barbadostoday.bb

The post Bus fare too high – Atherley appeared first on Barbados Today.

Government is being warned that a raft of higher taxes on the tourism industry could lead to dampening of demand for the destination, a prominent regional economist warned tonight.

But Marla Dukharan has welcomed Government’s plan to ease its grip on foreign exchange transactions, suggesting that this could result in hoteliers keeping more of their profits here.

Dukharan appeared on a panel of a post-Budget breakfast forum organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

Dukharan said: “I agree that the move to liberalize the foreign exchange regime is very welcomed. I think Barbados has the most restrictive foreign exchange regime in the Caribbean right now . . . so this is a very welcomed reform.”

In her Budget speech on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said effective July 1 this year, all Barbadians will be allowed to open foreign currency-denominated bank accounts for holding foreign currency they have earned locally or abroad.

Dukharan told the forum: “If you look at the impact of tourism we have been seeing growth in tourism numbers but you are not seeing the commensurate rise in revenue and people are wondering is it because of the Airbnb or they are spending less and the length of stay is shorter? But I think a big part of it was that people are keeping more foreign exchange off shore that they earn from tourism. So this new reform with respect to the liberalisation of the foreign exchange will help to alleviate that challenge.”

But Dukharan said she feared that the increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate on the industry from 7.5 per cent to ten per cent effective January 2020, together with a hike in room rate levies, “could potentially have some implications for demand”.

While acknowledging that the more luxurious the property and the destination the lesser the price sensitivity, Dukharan suggested Barbados had “a very diversified product offering”.

The economist said: “I wouldn’t classify Barbados the same as I would, let’s say Anguilla for example.

“So I feel there is a certain bracket that really has price sensitivity and there is likely to be some impact on the amount of demand for some of the properties and vacation stays in Barbados, and that is something I am concerned about.

“The fact that you have now the higher taxes and levies being imposed I feel that there is a risk that we can see some softening in demand for rooms especially at the mid to lower end of the market.”

Also appearing on the panel was Tax Engagement Leader at PwC Gloria Edwardo who predicted that the 75 per cent increase in the room rate levy on accommodation was likely to be a concern to the tourism industry.

She said: “It will certainly cause an overall increase in room rates in a country that is already seen by many as an expensive destination and is likely to make Barbados less competitive to some potential visitors.”

She also said that Government’s decision to reduce the number of zero rated supplies and treat them as exempt supplies meant that input tax would become “irrecoverable and become a cost for the suppliers of exempt goods and services”.

“This is likely to be passed to the ultimate consumers in the form of higher prices,” Edwardo warned. 

The post Tax warning appeared first on Barbados Today.

Dozens were denied a safe space to work, shop and dine during the lunchtime hours today as terror encroached on the popular shopping mall at Sheraton Centre when a gunman stormed the complex and opened fire taking the life of a 33-year-old man.

[caption id="attachment_292258" align="aligncenter" width="600"] A 33-year-old man was shot dead this afternoon at Sheraton Centre.[/caption]

Civilians were left stunned and operations at the Sergeant’s Village complex came to an unscheduled halt as police began investigating Barbados’ 20th murder for 2019.

Word of the shocking incident quickly spread and shortly after a chorus of weeping was heard as family members of the deceased Damien Trotman huddled in disbelief.

[caption id="attachment_292260" align="aligncenter" width="407"] Family members of the deceased could not be consoled at the scene.[/caption]

A team of media personnel was in the mall conducting an interview with members of the disabled community, when the gunman stormed the plaza and started firing meters away.

According to reports, it happened just outside of the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), inside the food court.

“The man passed over me with the gun and I was thinking ‘suppose he shoots me right now, because he looked directly at me when I was on the ground and I actually saw his face, so he could have killed me. I could have been dead all now,” said one of the shaken media workers.

One journalist said: “When he [the victim] slumped down, he still had the receipt in his hand and I just saw his hand loosen and I said, ‘oh my goodness, he’s been shot.’ So all I could do was just dive into the place that was next to me and check myself to make sure that I wasn’t shot.”

Owner of a well-known restaurant, Foreplay Deli, Phillip Forester told Barbados TODAY that dozens of civilians attempted to cram into the back of his establishment, desperately attempting to escape the danger.

“About five or six customers encroached on my restaurant and all of a sudden they were in the kitchen lying down in refuge and that was very serious.

“I thought it was an explosion coming from another restaurant, because a person being shot in Sheraton Mall, is something that I never would have imagined.

He also expressed concern about the dangerous precedent set by a shooting of that nature.

“There are kids who came here as babies and continue coming to this mall for food, to shop and the question is are they going to be safe coming here in the near future?”

“I am concerned that we are not safe in Barbados anymore and you don’t have to do anything to anyone to be in harm’s way. So I am wondering whether Barbados is still the gem of the Caribbean in that regard,” he pondered.

An announcement by acting police Public Relations Officer Inspector Rodney Inniss that two people, a male and female were taken into custody following the incident was not enough to quell the sorrow of family members mourning the loss of their Damien who lived at Highland, near Foursquare in St. Philip.

Fiona Pilgrim, cousin of the slain man was among scores of family members who converged at the scene. However, she was the only one in a position to speak to the press.

[caption id="attachment_292259" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Cousin of the deceased, Fiona Pilgrim remembered her cousin as a lover of family.[/caption]

Pilgrim described her cousin as a “really nice man” who loved his family, particularly his two sisters and his young son, a student at the Lodge School.

“He had his ways, but I find his name would be called in many things that he didn’t know anything about. People just used to call his name. I don’t know if it’s because of his style of living, but I guess that is how it happens in society.

“But to be honest, he was really nice and he loved his son. His son recently passed for Lodge and I don’t even know how he is going to take this, because he was always there for his son, even though his father was not there for him.”

She also revealed that the victim’s mother was former Barbadian Olympic sprinter, Marcia Trotman.

“Before his mum died, his mum told me to make sure I took care of him,” she said, while shaking her head in disbelief.

Others still on the scene reflected on the country’s unprecedented violent situation.

“Gun violence is really getting out of control in Barbados. I know we have different theories about it . . . but there were literally hundreds of children in Sheraton.

“So we have to study the residual effects because it’s okay to blame it all on a turf war or gangs, but look at how many people are going to be affected . . . . You don’t know who will be replaying that in their minds tonight,” said a traumatized eyewitness.

Since the shocking incident, management of the popular mall has been unavailable for comment. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

The post Murder at the Mall appeared first on Barbados Today.

Opposition Leader Joseph Atherley today painted a grim picture of a nation in the grip of widespread corruption, money laundering and organised crime were legalised casino gambling to be introduced.

He made the suggestion in his maiden reply to the Budget speech, a day after Government announced it is to introduce online and table gambling.

He conceded that while there had been no mention of casino gambling, he believed it was on the cards.

The Opposition Leader told the House: “The movement on taxes from betting and gaming from $3 million to $30 million in the Estimates immediately gave to me the first signal that perhaps something significant was coming down relative to this activity.

“If I am wrong I really would want to be told early . . . but that movement from $3 million to $30 million . . . . It seems to me as if we are intending to introduce casino gambling into Barbados. It seems that way to me. From these figures and from what was said yesterday . . . . It was not stated in the documents and it was not stated yesterday but it is my understanding.”

He admitted he was not in a position to give the Mottley administration advice on whether it should introduce casino gambling or not. But he warned that there were shady elements associated with such an undertaking.

He continued: “If it is intended to be casino gambling, and I am not here suggesting anything one way or the other as to the advisability of that, it simply seems that way to me and if we are going to do it let’s say so clearly, because whatever we call it and however skilfully we introduce it, then it still becomes part of our reality.

“But the caution would be that the countervailing impact upon our social and institutional landscape could well be realized in corruption, money laundering, organised crime and other socially undesirable phenomenon.”

Delivering the 2019 Budgetary Proposals yesterday, Mottley also said there would be a 20 per cent withholding tax on gambling winnings and a 17.5 per cent gambling tax on the net drop of all gaming establishments.

She said there had been a strong request from investors within the tourism industry to extend the presence of gaming tables and machines.

The post Casino gambling ‘will bring organised crime, corruption’ appeared first on Barbados Today.

Member of Parliament for Christ Church West and Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance, Dr William Duguid, says his Government will ensure that the island’s public transport system is properly managed in the wake of the bus fare hike announced in yesterday’s Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals.

Dr Duguid reiterated the rationale for the fare increase, noting: “The Transport Board has been spending $60 to $70 million a year, but only taking in $20 million owing to bus sustainability. We have to restructure it, because we had a situation where we had 60 buses and 250 drivers, so it meant many days people came to work, got paid and didn’t have a bus to drive, so the Prime Minister took the time to explain to the workers what we would do. Some opted for voluntary separation, but part of the process means making the system better.”

The Minister stated, “We will be using some minibuses and ZRs to meet the transportation needs, and these will be labeled Transport Board, so senior citizens and schoolchildren will still ride free on these buses. We also plan to get the retrenched drivers to drive these vehicles for the new concessionaires.”

On the increased bus fare, Duguid said, “We recognise $3.50 is a lot for the average person to pay, and all transport systems have discounted systems for frequent users. So we are getting the expertise to ensure that when we get this programme in place we will get it right, because the people of Barbados deserve the best transport system this country can provide.”

On another matter, the Minister announced that greater efficiency was coming to the Barbados Licensing Authority.

“We want to get shorter wait times for people to come back in and repeat their driving tests, so we will get more driving test officers and instructors. To address the problems people have had with getting their driver’s licences renewed, we have received six cameras and six printers to print driver’s licences more efficiently. We are training the officers now, and we will soon have cameras and printers in three different locations.”

The post Govt committed to getting public transport right, says Duguid appeared first on Barbados Today.

Eyewitnesses claim to have seen two young boys running from a boat at a private property at Savannah Road, Bush Hall, St Michael, this evening, just before it caught fire.

Residents in the area told Barbados TODAY that it was after 5 p.m. when they heard an explosion coming from the area where the boat was located, and that was followed by black billowing smoke, and eventually flames. The boat was owned by Basil Seale, of Seale’s Construction and Equipment Rentals Inc, also located along the Savannah Road stretch.

[caption id="attachment_292269" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Fire officers ensuring the fire is extinguished on this boat, at Savannah Road, Bush Hall.[/caption]

“I was just there talking to my brother and then I looked back and saw the smoke. And then I just saw a flame come up the same time,” one resident said.

Barbados TODAY understands that Seale used water from his water tanker to start the process of outing the fire, before a fire truck arrived.

However, when approached, Seale preferred not to comment. “I still got a problem here where we got to disassemble the boat more and we got to soak it,” Seale said.

Another resident said “They claim that little people did running around there all the time. Two hard ears children who always up to mischief. That was a big boat. If you saw that fire. And if you see the people. Out here was like a political meeting.”

Meanwhile, one concerned woman said she believes that parents should know what activities their children are involved in, especially those who tend to be troublesome. She was happy that no life was lost, or that no buildings extensively damaged.

One fire tender and four fire officers responded to the scene. 

The post Boat fire in Bank Hall appeared first on Barbados Today.

An action plan to tackle security arrangements at the Sir Winston Scott Polyclinic has emerged from a two-hour meeting with disgruntled nurses led by Minister of Health Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic.

But the clinic is to remain closed until Monday amid protest over working conditions and security arrangements in the wake of three violent incidents.

Around 10:50 a.m, Lieutenant Colonel Bostic, joined Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George, the president of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados, Denis Depeiza, and officials of the National Union of Public Workers to meet with the nurses for just over two hours.

Echoes of applause could be heard as the meeting ended, apparently signalling agreement had been reached with the nurses who have endured incidents in which assailants used rocks, chairs and a knife.

A Barbados TODAY team was told the meeting was private and media were barred from entering the building where a sign pointed to the clinic’s closure today.

CTUSAB President Denis Depeiza told Barbados TODAY that the matter of safety and security was addressed as Bostic conducted a walk-through of the institution.

Depeiza said: “We have looked at the number of issues impacting both on safety, security as well as the wellbeing of the staff and the users of the facility and those matters are going to be the subject of discussion and an action plan.

The labour leader said he was representing the Barbados Nurses Association. Saying he was not at liberty to speak on the action plan which was created at the meeting. He said he was there to speak to the nurses affected so that the union could plan their course of action.

“While we are now going through the routine of speaking to the staff so that the unions can make a firm decision as to how to move forward as soon as all the matters have been fully aired and ventilated.”

Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George remained tight-lipped about the meeting, saying only he would speak to the media at a later date about its outcome.

A press release by Government Information Service said the Jemmott’s Lane polyclinic is to remain closed until Monday for “industrial cleaning”.

“The Minister assured the workers that he would be doing all in his power to ensure their safety and the upgrades would begin over the next three days,” the statement read.

Bostic was quoted as telling the staff that their safety was of paramount concern to him and the Government “would be increasing security cameras from 16 to 28 along with improved lighting. Another step that will be taken is the installation of electronic access and panic buttons, as well as metal detectors to ensure that illegal weapons are not brought into the polyclinic”

The MP for The City of Bridgetown also said in the statement that there will be discussions with the Royal Barbados Police Force and Barbados Defence Force “tomorrow to look at all of the issues and to identify some of the steps to be taken. One of which is for random patrols to be done on the compound on a daily basis”.

The assurance was an apparent response to nurse’s demands for police protection at the clinic.

The Minister of Health and Wellness warned the public that if the bad behavior continued repeat offenders could find themselves being banned from the polyclinic.

The statement said the minister would fully ventilate the issue in his contribution to the budget debate in Parliament on Friday.

The Government release directed residents in the closed clinic’s catchment area who need their prescriptions filled to go to the Edgar Cochrane Polyclinic in Wildey.

The post Bostic intervenes in Sir Winston Scott Polyclinic impasse appeared first on Barbados Today.

At least three former Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW) workers are still waiting to learn if they will receive gratuity payments following their retrenchment last year after nearly 20 years in the public sector.

The frustrated workers are also lashing out at the workers’ union representatives who they say are unable to advise them on if they will be able to receive the monies they believed is owed to them.

[caption id="attachment_292295" align="aligncenter" width="900"] From left, Maria Bullen, Elvis Foster and Dale Hoyte said that they are in desperate need of their gratuities which they have not received since they were retrenched back in October 2018.[/caption]

Speaking to Barbados TODAY in Queen’s Park the former workers say they are desperately seeking closure in a situation which is having an impact on their personal finances.

Forty-five-year-old Maria Bullen, a retrenched casual worker attached to the Mangrove Division, explained that after 18 years in the public service made up of eight years with Urban Development and ten years in the Ministry of Transport and Works, she visited the latter and was informed that she would be paid only for the last ten years and the rest would be captured in her pension when she reaches the appropriate age.

Bullen said that when she was transferred from the Urban Development Commission to the Ministry of Transport and Works, she received no settlement for the eight years she worked in the former.

“I was transferred from Urban to MTW and we came over with our years and the money that we were supposed to get for our years. I would like to know what is going on with it? I would like to know about our years from Urban and MTW combining as they are supposed to. They brought us in and put us to work without any payment from the Urban Development Commission,” she told Barbados TODAY.

Bullen, who said she has a son who is looking to further his studies, recalled that she was surprised when she received notice on October 23,, 2018 that she was being retrenched.

“I did not feel awful because I knew that something would happen as we were told that we would receive our packages. Then we only got six months’ of money from the National Insurance Scheme for working for those years and to get a job in Barbados is really hard right now. It is a difficult time for all of us,” she said.

At 45, Elvis Foster, a former heavy-duty worker, is having a similar experience. He said he would desperately like his gratuity as he owes a lot of money to the bank.

“I want to know about my money. When can I get my money? When can I get my money to pay who I owe, that’s all I need to know. I was very disappointed because I was not looking to get laid off as I have a very outstanding bill and I would love my money so I could get it sort out,” he said.

Foster told Barbados TODAY said he felt as though the trade unions were doing nothing to help them to get the money which is owed to them.

“I understood that when I was laid off we would have to get a package but nothing. I got vacation money and a month’s pay. I was calling and asking certain questions of the unions and they said they would give us letters and they never got back to us,” he said.

Forty-three-year-old Dale Hoyte told Barbados TODAY “I have been laid off about six months now and I am hearing that when we reach 60 years old that is when we will get our pension but I ain’t hear anything for the service we already have in. Are we getting compensation, or do we have to wait until we are 60?” he questioned.

Hoyte, also a former heavy-duty worker, called on Prime Minister Mia Mottley to urgently intervene so that they would know what they are entitled to.

“I am calling on the Prime Minister or somebody to come and let we know what is going on. I was laid off the 23rd October 2018. The only payment that I received was a month’s pay, vacation money and the little six-month money from unemployment,” he said.

When contacted Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers Wayne Walrond said the issue with the workers who have yet to be paid is one that the union is seeking to have resolved with a lump sum payment for their years in the sector.

“I do not know if these workers
understand that the whole issue with ten years and over is one that we are working on. What we are doing is looking to get a lump sum payment for them,” he told Barbados TODAY.

In spite of this, the three retrenched workers said that they would like to know if they have to wait more then a decade to receive the money owed to them.

An angry Bullen said: “Who brought up that you have to wait until 60 to get your gratuity money? They put out a statement that we were supposed to get a package, and everyone felt nice and if we are going home we going with all of our money and when we got there it was a different story. The Permanent Secretary was telling us and explaining to us why we could not get all of the money that is owed to us. National Conservation Commission workers took
two years before they received their money and they want us to wait until we are 60!” she said

The post Pay us, please appeared first on Barbados Today.

Management of the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) has been warned that the rights of workers in the country’s sugar industry will not be trampled with impunity under Government’s next round of retrenchment.

Outgoing President of the Sugar Industries Staff Association (SISA), Edwin O’Neal, in his final address to members warned of the presence of ‘little Hitlers’, in the sector, who engaged in extremely dubious practices, during the last round of the retrenchment exercise.

He also publicly called for the resignation of some high-level members of staff at the BAMC, who “clearly targeted” ardent union members in the process.

In January, the BAMC cut 46 sugar workers as Government continued its painful layoff process under the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) plan. During SISA’s annual general meeting on Friday, the process came under tremendous scrutiny.

“They cut and sent home persons who are in the productive sector of the BAMC, namely farm managers and supervisors. But the very people who the Prime Minister said should be the first to go, they didn’t touch,” he said, referring to stenographers and clerk typists who were not sent home.

“But process supervisors, supervisors of farms and managers of farms are gone- all of whom are supposed to be the people in the categories that drive the BAMC and provide an opportunity for it to earn some money,” contended O’Neal.

He added that much larger unions like the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) continued to secure the respect of Government, while staff associations like SISA, with its approximately 33 members, continued to be ignored.

“They committed to meetings with us, but when it started to get uncomfortable, they arbitrarily brought meetings to a halt, because time is of the essence for them and that was in November . . . but would you believe that this same BAMC continued to meet with the BWU all the way into January?

“I could only come up with one rationale explanation. They are afraid of the BWU because the BWU is big and has might, but SISA is small, so they can trample all over it.

He also made his position clear on further retrenchment of workers at state owned enterprises (SOE)’s.

“We are not opposed to cuts, but the cuts must make sense. The management of BAMC has never once sat down with the union to devise a feasible approach to restructuring, to rationalizing or giving BAMC a chance,” he revealed.

O’Neal, who recently took up the post of President of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations (CTUSAB) will be replaced by incoming President, Dwight Miller.

However he also had a stern warning to the union’s members.

“Do not take any comfort because the cutlass of retrenchment has not reached you as yet. There is promise of another wave of retrenchment. I will not be here in this position, but I would hope that as members of the union, you gird you loins and prepare for battle.

“Something has gone wrong in this country when officials can behave in the way that they do in relation to industrial relations and labor management issues. It is as though ‘Massa’ days have returned again,” he said passionately.

He further warned his comrades to be “continually vigilant,” encouraging them to set themselves against “tyranny and ‘bullyism.’” 

The post BAMC caution appeared first on Barbados Today.

Officials of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) are hoping to slash that entity’s approximately $23 million annual electricity bill with the opening of a major photovoltaic farm at the Bowmanston pumping station in St John.

In addition to the 500-kilowatt system in that parish, the US$350 million project consists of a 350-kilowatt solar facility at Lakes Folly, in Bridgetown.

The project, which is funded with a grant from the UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund, is designed to reduce the island’s dependence on fossil fuel.

Work on the solar photovoltaic project began in early 2018, following the signing of the funding agreement between Barbados and the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company in October 2017.

Acting General Manager of the BWA Charles Leslie said the BWA’s multi million dollar annual energy bill was not sustainable and was severely impacting the profitability of the utility company and its ability to adequately fulfill its mandate.

[caption id="attachment_292301" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams (left) and Representative of the UAE in the Association of Caribbean States Ambassador Bader Almatrooshi.[/caption]

Addressing the commissioning ceremony of the PV facility on Friday, he said the new combined 850-kilowatt system would help to correct that situation.

“Additionally, it increases our resilience to climate change and will aid in the BWA’s quest to become fit for purpose by reducing energy costs by approximately $700,000 annually,” said Leslie.

To date, the BWA has installed five renewable energy systems with a total capacity of just over one megawatt.

Leslie said in coming years the company would be working with the ministry and other partners to achieve a total capacity of 14 megawatts of solar photovoltaic systems at about 11 locations.

“This will significantly aid in achieving the goal set by the Government of Barbados of becoming carbon neutral by 2030,” said Leslie.

Pledging his country’s continued assistance to development in Barbados, Representative of the UAE in the Association of Caribbean States Ambassador Bader Almatrooshi said the opening of the PV facility at the pumping station was a key milestone for the fund and the sector here.

“Both the UAE and Barbados share a common vision of the importance renewable energy plays in accelerating sustainable development and bringing real benefit to the local communities,” he said.

He said it is estimated that the 850-kilowatt system will save the country an estimated US$380,000 every year by displacing about 265,000 litres of diesel fuel and 970 tonnes of carbon annually.

Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams also pointed to the need for the BWA to reduce its energy bill, revealing that of Government’s more than $70 million annual electricity bill, the BWA was the largest user of energy on the island.

Last year Government spent about $78 million on electricity.

The PV farm in St John is expected to generate approximately 700-megawatt hours of electricity with an estimated value of $280,000 per year. This, Abrahams said, would represent an almost 30 per cent savings on the BWA’s spend on electricity at the Bowmanston pumping station alone, which came up to $984,000 last year.

Expressing a desire for a continued partnership with the UAE in building out the island’s renewable energy sector, Abrahams said the National Energy Policy now before Cabinet, will be Government’s main framework to achieve its 2030 targets of making Barbados 100 per cent carbon neutral.

“This policy is to be worked in tandem with the soon-to-be developed national energy efficiency action plan, which will magnify the benefits that will be accrued in utilizing both renewable energy and energy efficiency to promote growth within the economy,” said Abrahams.

He also pointed out that the Barbados Labour Party’s promised solar PV project, to put systems on the roofs of households, would soon be rolled out.

Abrahams also stated that Government was keen on entering into partnerships with energy service companies to reduce the cost of energy here, adding that Government was not limiting itself to only solar PV systems.

“Other projects and programmes will include the exploration of ocean energy, use of wind energy and increasing the use of electric mobility,” said Abrahams. 

The post BWA employing more solar energy appeared first on Barbados Today.

Government has made slight adjustments to how the controversial Hyatt Centric project will be carried out.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has also made it clear that her administration would not be selling the Hilton Resort and would be seeking to reduce or relinquish its ownership of the Sam Lord’s Castle hotel in St Philip.

She made the announcement in Parliament earlier this week during her Budget presentation, while outlining several tourism projects aimed at bringing needed investment into Barbados.

Mottley said Government had “a difficulty with the Hyatt on two spots in Bridgetown”, adding that her administration sat down with the developers and planners and determined that a Hyatt hotel built on three lots and a fourth lot (The Tucker property) next door for local vendors was a different construct from what was before the last Government.

“As a result, the Government of Barbados has taken a decision to proceed with the compulsory acquisition of the land on which liquidation centre stands because we believe that it is in the national economic interest of the country for us to proceed with a Hyatt on a different construct than the original two-lot construct that was there,” she said. She added, “I hope that we can reach an amicable agreement on the quantum of price.”

This means the number of hotel rooms for the estimated US$100 million property would increase to 350-rooms, up from the original 237-rooms.

Since its announcement in 2016, the project, which was to be a 15-storey building on almost three acres of waterfront property in Bay Street, St Michael, has been stalled due to a legal battle over the lack of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study.

Attorney-at-law David Comissiong had insisted that the then Freundel Stuart administration carry out an EIA, while arguing that building a 15-storey project on a portion of the UNESCO Heritage Site was perhaps not in the best interest of the country.

While that legal battle is yet to be settled, Mottley did not say if an EIA would be carried out, but said: “We look forward, subject to the receipts of the revised studies and plans, which will shortly be in, to be able to move forward thereto.”

In relation to the over 14-year-old Hilton property at Needham’s Point, Mottley said her administration had rejected the deal reached by the last Government to sell that hotel for about $150 million.

“Instead, we have successfully renegotiated the deal so that the Government remains in full ownership,” she said.

She explained that a framework agreement had been reached with L&R Capital for them to invest about $40 million to renovate the hotel and then recoup their investment by sharing in the profits, which currently hovers around $7 million.

“That is the kind of deal that we can live with that protects the public’s interest,” said Mottley, who pointed out that Government’s economic advisor Professor Avinash Persaud was especially key in the negotiation of that deal.

The Hilton is a 350-room hotel that is owned by the Government and operated by Needhams Holdings Ltd.

Mottley said her Government would also be issuing a request for proposals in an effort to get partners or for an outright purchase of the Sam Lord’s Castle Wyndham Grand Resort.

Mottley said while construction of that 400-room property should be complete in 2020, the $400 million project was “a little behind time”.

She said the decision to share ownership or sell that property was done “in the context of the loan”, which has come from the China Export-Import Bank to the tune of $240 million.

“We feel still that the Government of Barbados cannot carry the weight of Sam Lord’s hotel on its own in this year when our capital budget is constrained,” said Mottley, who indicated that her administration had only allocated $18 million of the $30 million needed to take the project forward.

“We still have $18 million to find,” she said.

With a number of other hotel projects on the cards, it is expected that some $2 billion will be pumped into the local economy over the next three years, adding more than 1,500 new hotel rooms and 3,000 new jobs in the tourism sector.

In relation to the Savannah Hotel, Mottley said while the HRL group had received “a very good” unsolicited offer for the purchase of the hotel, her administration would be requesting other proposals through advertising to ensure that others who were interested in purchasing the property could put in bids.

The Prime Minister also reiterated her plans for at least 12 potential new hotels, expansion of seven properties and a major conference and convention facility to be located somewhere between the Savannah Hotel in Christ Church and Paradise in St Michael.

The post Hotel expansion to spur economic activity appeared first on Barbados Today.

Prominent political scientist Dr Don Marshall has described as “good politicking” Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s Budget presentation on Wednesday.

But Marshall, Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), said that in opting not to deliver a financial statement, Mottley was not obligated to reveal any planned expenditure cuts.

Speaking at the Democratic Labour Party’s weekly lunchtime lecture today, Dr Marshall said: “I want you to recognise that there was no financial statement, so without a financial statement you’re not obliged while standing on the floor to engage in what could be a messy discussion about where the expenditure cuts would be, where they will fall and who will bear the brunt of those measures.

“So you could argue that it is good politics, because ultimately a Minister of Finance is not required to go back to Parliament to discuss expenditure that he or she does not intend to meet or intend to max out,

“So no Financial Statement means good politicking from the point of view of a new Minister of Finance that wants to convince Barbadians to stay the course.”

Despite the Prime Minister having not revealed any planned Budget cuts, Dr Marshall said they should be expected, as Government was obligated to do so by the International Monetary Fund to reach its intended targets.

He pointed out that while cuts up to this point amounted to about “4.5 per cent of the targets”, this meant that “another 1.5 per cent to two per cent” were to go.

He said this meant a further reduction in the size of Government, which had to be sustained throughout the duration of the four-year IMF-backed economic programme.

“So I would hazard to guess that you can expect there will be some expenditure cuts going forward across the Ministries and agencies and that the four-year extended credit programme with the IMF will continue on pace,” the academic said.

From a political perspective, Dr Marshall praised the Prime Minister for her approach, saying she had done a good job in avoiding tough questions which might have been asked if she had chosen to deliver a Financial Statement.

He said: “Regardless of what happens at these annual exercises called Budget speeches, the eye on the prize for the Government of the day is to stay the course and meet the demands of the IMF.

“It is important in the midst of austerity to win confidence and the Minister of Finance is free to try to engender confidence as is possible . . . but on the question of the Budgetary presentation, I think the Minister of Finance did quite excellently in assuring that she avoids a very difficult conversation of Barbados.”

He said that while in Mottley’s budget there had been relief in the area of direct taxation, it could be argued that the cost of living and indirect taxation had risen by the introduction of new property taxes and by the announcement of a 75 per cent hike in bus fares.

The post Prime Minister ‘dodges tough questions’ in Budget appeared first on Barbados Today.

Nationwide outrage at the latest of a score of murders committed so far this year reached fever-pitch on the floor of the House of Assembly today in a rare outburst by a sitting lawmaker, a medical doctor, who called for the gunmen to be put to death.

MP for St Philip North Dr Sonia Browne, who said her daughter was present at Sheraton Centre Mall “the day before” the brazen execution-style slaying of a St Philip man, further declared that any perpetrator who shoots at the police “should not live to tell the story” and she says capital punishment must be put back on the table.

The backbencher said to the House: “I today will speak the truth and nothing but the truth.

“Criminals are no longer afraid of the law. We have people shooting at police officers then the public defends it. In my mind, if you shoot at a police officer you should not live to tell about it that is how I feel about it.”

The physician-legislator said crime was at the top of her list because it was hitting too close to home and criminals do not fear punishment.

“Crime is top of my list. My daughter was there [Sheraton Centre] the day before that shooting happened. I could have been the mother getting called. Just the other day a neighbour, walking distance from me, was stabbed to death. Right beside my property somebody was held up at gunpoint. This is a serious situation and it is hitting a little too close to home. We have people running into the polyclinics with guns. It is gross disrespect they don’t fear punishment.”

Declaring that drastic times should be addressed by drastic measures she repeatedly asked what was the position with capital punishment in the country.

“What has become of capital punishment? It cannot only be about the rights of the murderers it has to be about the rights of the victims. It is not easy for a mother or father or sibling to hear that a relative was raped dragged through a canefield, throat cut, foot cut off and then Amnesty International would come and say you have to think about the murderer. We have too many lawyers around, many in here.

“What about capital punishment? I was never a supporter of it but I believe drastic times deserve drastic measures.”

The first-term backbencher then appeared to break from the administration’s recently launched policy to provide entrepreneurship tools to mostly unemployed young people who loiter on street corners, the so-called blocks

While praising the Ministry of Youth and Community Empowerment’s Building Blocks programme she objected to the very term, “blocks”.

Dr Browne said: “We have to face the harsh reality that the majority of the crime comes from the blocks. However much we would like to deny it they are where the drugs come in or used and sold. I really would like the term block knocked off.

“I don’t like the ‘block’ initiative; I don’t like the ‘blocktrepeneurs’. I did a bit of research and the other countries don’t call them blocks. I think we need to take them off the blocks as oppose to patronising the blocks put them in a classroom setting get rid of the term blocks . . . .”

The post Execute them appeared first on Barbados Today.

Chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA) Edward Clarke has condemned the most recent killing, which took place at the busy Sheraton Mall on Thursday afternoon.

In fact, Clarke said the daring daylight shooting should serve as the final wake-up call for all Barbadians, insisting that every support that can be given to crime fighting officials should be rendered.

“We have to fight this, we have to fight it from within on the ground and we have to ensure that we support the police and the security services to the utmost at this time,” said Clarke.

Yesterday, 33-year-old Damian Trotman of Highland, St Philip became this island’s 20th murder when he was shot by a man around 1:50 p.m. at the mall in the presence of scores of people.

Condemning the act, Clarke said he was very concerned about the impact the crime situation was having on residents and visitors, adding, “A lot of damage could have been done yesterday and a lot of lives lost if it had gone differently.

“It is scaring a lot of Barbadians and this is not the Barbados we want. We want to be able to live our lives, go to these public areas and live freely and without fear. People are scared. We have to fix the problem. We have to find out what is causing this and work with the community leaders to fix the problem from the source,” he said.

“Yes, the policing and the security will take care of the issues as it is now, but there is a bigger problem that we have to fix in Barbados to ensure that this doesn’t continue,” he added.

The business leader said while there was still a level of consolation that the criminal elements remained a small segment of society and that Barbados remained a God-fearing society, it was still extremely necessary for changes to be made at all levels including the home, school and in the various communities, with the help of the business community.

“I think we need to mentor a lot of people. Also we have to look at our education system. A lot of people are being left behind, let us face it, and that cannot continue. We have to find a solution for the education system – a different mode of education. We are not doing it right . . . So we have got to find the alternative and we have the brains in Barbados to do so,” he said.

“I think it is incumbent on all of us, business leaders and the wider community – the community leaders, church and security forces – everybody has to get involved. Let us work together to bring Barbados back to where we need to be,” pleaded Clarke.

Calling on Barbadians to give their full support to the Royal Barbados Police Force and other crime fighting efforts, the private sector head said it was also critical that Government and business leaders create gainful employment opportunities for young people in an effort to help steer them away from a life of crime and violence.

“We need to ensure that we find gainful employment for Barbadians of all walks of life. We need to ensure that the community comes back to life and people look out for one another. I would hate to see Barbados continue in this vein and I think that every businessman in Barbados and every Barbadian, if we haven’t waken up yet, that yesterday was a final wake-up call for us,” he said. 

The post We have to fight crime, says BPSA head appeared first on Barbados Today.

As lawmakers weigh in on a murder spree gripping the nation, MP for Christ Church South Ralph Thorne today challenged Attorney General Dale Marshall to raise the pay of police officers and restore confidence in the law courts.

Declaring in Parliament that officers deserved to be considered “special”, Thorne said: “There are two institutions that have to be strengthened. Too many of us believe it is popular to demonise and criticise the police force. This country must agree to strengthen its police force and my own individual position is that police in this country need to be better paid. That is not a political statement.

“If we want a police force that is dignified and highly professional they must work out of police stations that look like places for human habitation. They must drive cars that are as efficient as other cars. They must receive incomes that reflect the importance of the work that they do.

“It matters not to me if that statement is criticised for suggesting that police officers are special. My view is that police officers are special.”

But in order to complement the work of the police force, the lawyer also called for stiffer laws to address the notable surge in violent crime, including a score of murders this year.

“We must restore confidence is our courts. This [Parliament] is an arm of the state and our sole business here is to pass law for peace, order and good governance of this country. This country has lost its peace. This country has lost its order.

“All that we have left, according to that language, is good governance. While we are a good Government the time has come urgently for the passage of law that would rid this country of this scourge. We must join with our legal institutions the police and the courts . . . . It is not beyond us to think creatively in terms of legislation.”

But the parliamentarian suggested that “hatred”, not firearms were the root of the problem of murderous gun attacks, the latest of which occurred in full view of afternoon shoppers at the nation’s biggest mall, Sheraton Centre.

Thorne said: “It is the hatred in their hearts. If they did not have firearms they would kill each other with something. It springs from souls devoid of virtue.”

Making a case for tougher criminal penalties, the QC asserted that criminals were making a mockery of the judicial system.

And he urged lawmakers to put their unprecedented single-party rule in the lower House to work to change even the supreme law of the land.

Thorne said: “It has now become folklore that every young man who draws a gun was in St Philip incarcerated a few months earlier. What ugly soap opera is that? We have the law in our hands; let us use it.

“This is a parliament with abundant numbers of this side…. We can amend this constitution and pass laws not to satisfy human rights lawyers in any part of the world but to make this place as peaceful as it was when [centenarian] Tabitha Maynard was  30 years old. We have it within our power. The time has come to bring lawful order to the country.” 

The post ‘Hike police pay, toughen laws’ appeared first on Barbados Today.

The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) is taking steps to add new members to its roll but its outreach will be dependent on the successful passing of a resolution at this weekend’s annual conference.

The resolution being proposed looks to bolster membership by opening it up to those outside of the public service.

“All workers across Barbados would be able to join the NUPW so that they can have a voice,” said President of the NUPW Akanni McDowall, ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the union’s Dalkeith Road, St Michael headquarters starting at 10 a.m.

The present 9000-member public sector trade union is made up of workers in all areas of Government which include but are not limited to senior and management staff, security officers, employees in the legal service, health, education, revenue collection, statutory boards, welfare, clerical staff as well as temporary employees.

McDowall said he believed the resolution was necessary as unions around the world are moving towards community unionism.

“Giving the global trend of the trade union movement and the local reality, it is imperative that we structure to ensure that the current staffing levels are maintained. If you look at unions the world over, you would notice that they are moving towards community unionism as a way forward so that the union can form partnerships with other entities to help bring pressure to issues going forward.

“Partnerships are the way to go to meet the needs of members and the wider community. That is why I am discussing it at annual conference,” he said.

The president noted the resolution will be placed before the membership for a vote. Should it be passed, he explained, it will allow workers from other non-governmental entities to be able to join one of the oldest trade unions in Barbados.

“Ultimately the members will decide. The NUPW recognizes that there are persons across the island of Barbados outside of those who are allowed by the Constitution of the NUPW to be members, who can also benefit from the advancement of growth for the island,” he told Barbados TODAY adding that a quorum must be met.

Questioned on the competitive nature of the proposed union membership drive, McDowall said he does not expect any major fallouts from the other unions on the island.

“There are enough workers in Barbados for every union. Additionally, workers are allowed to join as many unions as they wish,” he said.

Turning his attention to the union’s general elections set to be held on April 3rd, 2019, McDowall said:

“I am confident, and I am also satisfied with the achievements that I would have made through my time as president. I want people to judge me based on what I have been able to achieve. There will be differences of opinions, but the facts are the facts!” he said.

The post NUPW aims to boost its membership appeared first on Barbados Today.