$1,400 lump sum for government workers for Christmas, says PM

PRIME Minister Hubert Minnis. (File photo)

As of Friday, December 6, 2019

By RIEL MAJOR

Tribune Staff Reporter

rmajor@tribunemedia.net

ELEVATED wages for government workers are on the way with a $1,400 lump sum payment for workers of the public service, according to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

Dr Minnis told reporters at a press conference on Friday that immigration officers, custom officers, police officers, defence force officers, teachers, doctors and nurses from the Public Hospitals Authority will receive a lump sum payment in their pay cheque at the end of the month.

When asked if there are any plans to increase the minimum wage in the private sector, Dr Minnis said no, but that will be an ongoing discussion.

He said: “(We) will have to take the long-term impact into consideration but the government sector would be elevated. I know that all those individuals I mentioned, the Defence Force and all them.

“I know they’re aggressively and anxiously waiting their $1,400 lump sum for Christmas. I would hope that they would spend their money here in our economy because we need it after Hurricane Dorian as opposed to running to the US or wherever.”

Earlier this year, public service workers protested over the government's unwillingness to immediately give them a $1,200 lump sum payment.

TalRussell 4 years, 4 months ago

Yeah, no to wants wonder aloud if it's possible that the Imperialists red government's workers - may just know of serious stuff of which the colony's government may not want talked about on the capital's street corners, and out island jibs? You can't make this up, you just, can't that if the Queen keeps ignoring my requests to act out against colony's government - should I forthwith, dispatch my "smoothing money" may be going on across the pond's letter to England, addressed to urgent attention Comrade Lord Buckethead?

Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 4 months ago

This moron of a PM we have thinks he's a monarch with the constitutional right to throw such a bone to his lowly plebes in an effort to appease their growing angst, anxiety and dissatisfaction with him. LMAO

SP 4 years, 4 months ago

The PM is making an attempt at a short term stimulus for the economy, and he should be congratulated for his efforts.

Now he needs to do some "heavy lifting" for long-term, sustainable, economic growth and step up to the plate to begin the process of reversing 30 years of damage inflicted on our country and people by the asinine stupidity of Dumb and Dumber, who allowed literally 10's of 1000's of low skilled blue-collar ex-pat workers to put Bahamians in unemployment and soup kitchen lines because they were too damn ignorant to educate our people and grow the economy commensurate with population growth.

These ex-pats are from countries with drastically lower standards of living than the Bahamas, never in their wildest dreams ever thought they would live in modern houses or ever drive a car, much less own one. And here they are in the Bahamas living the Bahamian dream that our parents and grandparents toiled for, for future generations.

Time to stop the stupidity, put our people back to work and rebuild our commercial banking sector!

jamaicaproud 4 years, 4 months ago

There you go. Economic growth by xenophobia. I don't know which economy can be stimulated by borrowing money to give bonuses to Public sector workers.

I can't speak for Haitians. I do know over the years its the Bahamas who sends recruiters to Jamaica. to recruit. Drs' Nurses. Teachers. construction workers, maids and what not. Whose fault is that. As for Motorcars, owning a car is not an achievement, it is a means to get from point A to Point B.

As for homes... well we will not go there. However if you think the economic problems of a nation that needs to grow can be solved by having less people or skilled people for that matter. Get your head checked.

Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 4 months ago

@SP: The only economy that will be stimulated by this wrongful and morally hazardous giveaway to the civil work force is the South Florida economy, especially around Christmas time. LMAO

tell_it_like_it_is 4 years, 4 months ago

How can government afford this? Government workers such as teachers never received lump sum payment for Christmas in the past. Especially after Dorian, this seems like a dumb move.

TalRussell 4 years, 4 months ago

Yeah, no. Wouldn't the thousands upon thousands government workers who have assigned chunks each and every dollar of their paycheque to Creditors, not have to legally see such previous financial payroll deduction obligations to be denied a big chunk the Imperialists red shirts intended $1,400 smoothing money. My communication to Comrade Lord Buckethead should be making its Royal Mail way across the English pond, as I am posting ...

sheeprunner12 4 years, 4 months ago

Minnis still has to make CBA deals with at least 7 public service unions ...... this is not part of that deal.

Maybe he is hoping this will make the 2020 negotiations a bit less combative????

BONEFISH 4 years, 4 months ago

Just a move to curry favour with the masses.This is a government who has yet to conclude an industrial agreement with any union since they have gained power.Bahamian politicians have played the populism card with the people since 1967.

TalRussell 4 years, 4 months ago

Yeah, no. The sudden pre Christmas Day rush by colony's most honourable comrade prime minister, and KP, to hand out smoothing money to all government workers, should be placed on hold until after the government has alerted all government workers that they have until the close the workday of December 20, 2019, to physically show up"" on the job to be physically audited, touched so as to be fingerprinted certified to be still breathing alive, and in reasonably good health, and available to physically report for work? You can't make this up, you just, can't that this is the very same prime minister who actually had to rescind appointments that he had personally made to sit on government boards after it was discovered that (9) of the politically appointed men's and woman's to fill positions on government boards - were in fact deceased.**

sweptaway 4 years, 4 months ago

They will be able to pay their first months electric bill now !!!

Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 4 months ago

Government is now wrongfully aiding and abetting government employees in the circumvention of the garnishing of a good chunck of their wages which by agreement should be paid by the Public Treasury directly to the banks like Commonwealth Bank that have made consumer loans to many government employees who are up to their ears in debt.

Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 4 months ago

This wrongful giveaway at Christmas time is only being done by the very corrupt Minnis-led FNM government because of its stupid willingness to allow 70% or more of the wages of government employees to be garnished by the commercial banks thereby leaving them with very little take home pay to meet their daily living costs. Yes indeed, the $1,400 is nothing but a bone thrown by our elitist cabinet ministers to their enslaved plebes.

bogart 4 years, 4 months ago

Are those Public Servants 1. who use govt vehicles off hours also to get a bonus $1,400.? 2.Those who refuse to answer phones? 3. Cannot find the files? 4. Busy arranging lunch time menu and not attending to publiv? 5. The Police who do not pull over the terrorist Jitney driving? 6. jitneys and motorists who do not get pulled over for clearly being in a racetrack? 7. Officials who are on the slow learming curve? 8.Govt officials who are still decades later unable to stop the small aircrafts pilots "hacking" illegally transporting passengers? 9. Public servants who unable to apprehend employers who hire illegal employees but can somehow apprehend tbousands of illegals and send them back on a free plane ride back to their countries? 10. Officers who can somehow after raids recover dozend of illegal cell phones in prison but didnt catch illegal stuff before? 11. Public servants unable to run the keep on broking down electricity system destroying public users applicances, etc ? 12. Public servants overstaffed and getting paid and others everyone knows carrying load for reasons not official public servants not getting paid bonus? 13. Public setvants who cannot keep reliable generators at ministries also not working when main electricity off incapacitating entire key functioning of govt department? 14. Public servants who allow hundreds of nurses shortages for system? 15. Public employees who cannot have to do building maintenance and repeatedly have mould in govt buildings have to shut down? 16.Public servants responsible for the defective Govt. Customs Computers delaying businesses? 17. Public setvants charging govt people but unable to find them guilty. 18. Seems the taxpauers can go through every govt ministry . .....anyone feel free to add to the the list of public servants getting bonus $$1,400. ....

sheeprunner12 4 years, 4 months ago

Public servants who (for the most part) work hard and have to put up with the 300,000 nasty, cussing, complicit, bribing, unprepared, ignorant, Bahamian private citizens?????? .............. Stop talking SHIT

Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 4 months ago

@bogart is right. Enjoy your $1,400 sheeprunner12 ........ it's a reward from the corrupt Minnis-led FNM government for your role as a government employee in making life so miserable for us private citizens.

geostorm 4 years, 4 months ago

@bogart, yes it is that same group of public servants! It's depressing the way we run our country.

sealice 4 years, 4 months ago

Where's the money for the privately employed Bahamians??? taking care of a mass of people in redundant government jobs while all the hard working bahamians have to fight their own battles against either the Gubmint or the crooked private employers???

bogart 4 years, 4 months ago

@sealice, some of the money gone in cost overruns by 2 to 3 times engineered caucus organized planned by best paid experts officials like 1.Clinic in Eleuthera having half a mountain graded down to built a clinic only left a hole in earth 2. Clinic planned designed spending for huge Cat Island Clinic later discovered not meeting synergies , efficiencies 3. Having experts do an agreement to use taxpayers money to buy Lucayan hotel and having taxpayers stuck paying off expenses of the seller like settling sellers employees entitlements. 4. Having cost overruns in having planned water treatment plant on Gladstone road 5. Experts buying old grocery building on Gladstone road later determined not proper for specific post office 6. Govt experts started off renovating Potters Cay some 3m winding up woth some 9m 7. Baseball stadiun park by Govt High school some double cost overruns and discovered lack important facilities. 8. Cost increased building by Batelco 9. Incompetance in regular repairs former Post Office leading to shutting down severly impairing national mail systen for nation 10. questionable funds used on defence boats involving some alleged bribery by another country 11. Massive national assets funds immobilzized by shutting down, stalling BahMar for extensive period 12. Nation funds utilized to assist persons in shantytownns after illegal homes destroyed when govt experts and millions of persons flying into Marsh Harbour know for decades before illegal building structures are boldly illegal and would be destroyed in strong winds .13. Error in funds paid to builder of seawall in Smiths point who then got fired and structure had to restart 14. Monies wasted in govt buildings not being renovated and officies to be relocated to rental buildings 15. Monies puored for years after years into education system without increased results. 16. Monies some 18 million PMH medical computer platform has defoficiencies 17. Monies paid with huge commission to import Govt Customs computers issued with challenges 18. Hundreds of millions of dollars poured into BoB by govt despite free market economy with other Financial instutions and companies being traded on Bahamian stock exchange .......anyone feel free to add more.....to wastages of millions of dollars by govt experts....so $1,400 bonus....

sheeprunner12 4 years, 4 months ago

Government (civil servant) workers account for about 20,000 of the 180,000 workers in this country. Almost half of them are temporary or non-P&P workers. Then, exclude the SOE workers (BPL, Bahamasair, NIB, etc) who are not civil servants............ Then, ask what the stingy private sector bosses are doing to uplift the VAST majority of private sector workers in this country ........ And then ask the self-employed sector (hidden or informal economy) who live by daily conning the system by not paying their fair share of taxes, NIB, and Government fees etc. ....... Lots of blame to go around - if you want to sling mud in this country.

Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 4 months ago

Your number for the size of the civil work force is grossly understated and would be many many thousands more with the inclusion of the headcounts of all the government controlled enterprises. That aside though, it might please you to know I won't be reading and commenting on anymore of your posts because you so obviously represent the very worst that is still able to walk on two legs in our country today. Ciao.

The Tribune