The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE Government allowed certain contracts to expire with a view to assess whether those persons should serve in other capacities, said Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday.

Mr Christie, who was responding to the FNM’s criticisms that 20 workers from the Business License Unit were fired last week, said “some of them at the very least” would be accommodated soon.

He said: “The Government of the Bahamas allowed contracts to expire. We know full well that there are people who are plunged into uncertainty without work. But we wanted a process to take place where we are able to make a determination as to whether or not those persons who serve in those positions should be employed whether in that capacity or another capacity. We intend to go through a process that will result in some of them at the very least being accommodated in short order.”

Mr Christie said his administration was mindful that the employees whose contracts expired need other opportunities. He added that his government was tasked with making major decisions that would impact the lives of everyone.

He said Peter Turnquest, FNM shadow Minister of Finance, could draw whatever conclusions he wished. Mr Turnquest initially said the employees were fired.

The PM said: “Peter Turnquest is an enterprising young Bahamian and I applaud him for taking major initiatives in business.

“But in business, just like in government there are exigencies and there are times when you have to make major decisions that impact the lives of people. No matter how he tapers over it, the same criteria that enables him to go and make those kinds of decisions influences people like myself and the Minister of State for Finance when we have to make decisions.

“It is a question of what are we doing to ensure that the people who may have lost their jobs have other opportunities. What I am arguing is that the Government is mindful of what happens to people whose contracts have ended and who continue to need jobs. We are mindful too that and we are not insensitive to that. Therefore you will find in the fullness of time we would in fact address the very same issue of each of those individuals who lost their jobs.”