Weekly Column

Finally, the National Union of Public Workers has seen it fit to raise the alarm at the unceremonious manner in which workers in the country are losing their jobs.

We were pleased to hear the General Secretary of the NUPW, Mr. Dennis Clarke on the Starcom 8.30am news on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 - join our leader, Ms. Mottley in raising concerns about the way in which workers are being displaced.

The level of fear that has now engulfed workers in both the private sector and public service has its genesis in a DLP policy that seeks revenge for 14 years of BLP leadership.

Not a day goes by without workers calling their respective Unions or the Office of the Opposition to complain of the unfair treatment by a Minister or appointed officer of the DLP.

It is now commonplace to have DLP Ministers and appointees throw around their weight in government departments and when they cannot have their way - they accuse the workers of being BLP supporters. This is then followed by an urgent request to have those persons relieved of their posts.

The number of persons that have lost their jobs since 2008, unrelated to the economic crisis - is frightening. It can no longer be a mystery what the DLP’s slogan: “Time For Change” in the last election truly meant. That our unemployment rate has jumped from 6% to 8% in just over a year - explains what has taken place in Barbados since January 15, 2008, under this DLP.

The DLP’s promised to maintain the high level of employment created under the last BLP Government has now been replaced by a policy of revenge. Every promise made by the DLP prior to last election has been reversed.

Prior to the last general election the DLP exploited the psyche of the unsuspecting. They impressed upon Barbadians that every agency of the state was negatively affected because of the injurious conduct of the last administration.

Barbadians were led to believe that non-Barbadians were responsible for displacing them. Even with a vicious deportation policy Barbadians are still losing their jobs daily. When persons were paid late in any Ministry we were told that it was due to the Minister. The Dems said they had the solution to the problem.

We read in the Nation News for Tuesday, April 21, 2008 of the tongue-lashing reportedly given to workers in the public service by the Minister of Health, Donville Inniss for “frightfully slow” work. It now suits the Minister and the DLP to blame the workers.

Other areas in which the DLP has completely reversed themselves is in the area of agriculture and the sale of land for economic development. When Former Prime Minister, Mr. Arthur recommended that Barbadians engage in backyard farming the DLP poured scorn on the matter and said that the BLP wanted to carry Barbadians back to the days of slavery.

Now not a day passes without Minister of Agriculture Benn suggesting that we grow our own food in the backyard. Even Mrs. Obama has suggested a similar policy for Americans.

When the BLP sought to balance this country’s land use policy by allowing reasonable use of land for economic development the DLP charged that the BLP was selling scarce land to wealthy non-nationals, depriving Barbadians of owning piece of the rock.

When we listen now to Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy we hear that more land for the kind of development, which the BLP had encouraged, is needed.

We can only conclude that this DLP came to office without a plan to carry Barbados forward and now relies on the policies of the BLP.

Back To Weekly Columns