By NICO SCAVELLA
Tribune Staff Reporter
nscavella@tribunemedia.net
FORMER FNM Deputy Leader Loretta Butler Turner yesterday criticised the government for failing to deliver on its campaign promises to improve the labour climate in the country.
Mrs Butler Turner, also the shadow minister of labour and social development, said the news on the labour front continues to be “disheartening and disappointing.” The Long Island MP said that employees at mega-resort Baha Mar were being sent home on unpaid leave, however when contacted about this yesterday Robert Sands, the property’s senior vice-president of government and external affairs, said he was “not aware of this.”
“A number of workers at Baha Mar are being sent on unpaid leave and the opening of the resort is once again delayed,” she said. “BTC and BEC intend to lay off. Scotiabank is closing some branches, resulting in job losses. One of the branches to be closed is in Long Island. Several other banks have already laid off workers.”
“A number of businesses in Grand Bahama are being closed despite the PLP’s promise to bring relief to the island.”
She said as Bahamians are “hurting and struggling to pay bills as costs continue to rise”, Prime Minister Perry Christie continues to “delude himself and is attempting to delude the Bahamian people” on the country’s labour situation.
“Small and large businesses may have to lay off even more Bahamians because of an increased tax burden, with taxes likely to go even higher,” she added. “A lack of energy sector reform and chronic power outages are resulting in lost profits for many businesses and driving some small businesses to the brink.”
She said rather than bring “hope and relief”, the government has “made matters even worse.”
“During the last election, the PLP promised 10,000 jobs in its first year of office,” she said in a press statement. “It has failed dramatically to deliver on this promise. At this third anniversary of its election, many Bahamians still cannot find jobs and unemployment has risen on the government’s watch.
“Many Bahamian homes are being foreclosed by financial institutions and the promised mortgage relief initiative has been a colossal failure. Businesses are operating at the margin or are unprofitable. Families and businesses are threatened by both financial difficulties, and crime and the fear of crime.
“Three years after its election the PLP has been unable to bring hope and relief. Instead, the Christie administration has made matters even worse.
In January, a labour force report released by the Department of Statistics revealed that the unemployment rate rose by 1.4 per cent, to 15.7 per cent.
The survey, which covered a six-month period since the previous survey in May 2014, showed that the unemployment rates in New Providence and Grand Bahama went up to 16 and 18.6 per cent, up one per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively from the previous survey.
Comments
Cobalt 8 years, 11 months ago
It's really shocking to witness how detached and disconnected these politicians really are. Especially when they open their mouths to speak. Does Mrs. LBT really not realize that unemployment was exceptionally high under her FNM government as well??? As a matter of fact...... unemployment, crime, and the sale of BTC were the catalyst that lost them the general election.
So how can she blast the PLP for unemployment???
asiseeit 8 years, 11 months ago
The fact is there are no jobs out there. The middle class is dieing. This country needs a shot in the arm, the way it is going now is not sustainable.
duppyVAT 8 years, 11 months ago
Yep ............... besides 4000 general service workers jobs in the civil service and a few tourist resort jobs, there are very few private sector jobs created since 2012 ......... most major family islands (excluding Bimini & SanSal) are experiencing employment hardships and there is more migration to the cities and US .............. its not getting any better than under the FNM ...... 7 years after the Recession.
SP 8 years, 11 months ago
......................................................... STFU BLT ................................................................
Somebody please stuff a galaxy into this idiots big stupid mouth.
The FNM singlehandedly are by far the biggest cause of Bahamas unemployment woes to date.
BLT conveniently fails to mention that while masquerading as FNM Cabinet Minister Loretta Butler-Turner, Minister of State for Social Services, BLT participated in the Cabinet decision with total agreement with Brent Symonette and Hubert Ingraham to sell $40M in work permits to non essential blue collar workers that now occupy jobs any below average Bahamian could do.
Cabinet Minister BLT plan of selling $40M in work permits at an average cost of $1,500.00 means 26,666.66 foreign blue collar workers were brought in to displace 26,666.66 Bahamians out of the job market.
Cabinet Minister BLT also told us in no uncertain terms that "bringing foreign workers was totally justifiable because Bahamians were a bunch of drug and alcohol dependent people that were unemployable and they could not be depended upon".
The added compounded impact of foreign workers diverting money out of local circulation by repatriating funds to impoverished home countries is a double whammy on Bahamian economy which not only quickly depletes our foreign reserves, but caused further deepening contraction in local business's leading to layoff's and bank closures as money is no longer circulating in traditional volumes.
No question the PLP are lousy too......But YOU, BLT and the FNM are a disgrace to the Bahamas, and 100% responsible for causing the greatest unemployment dilemma, bringing more misery to Bahamians across the board than any other administration in Bahamas history.
...Eat More Donuts, Pizza's, Mutton Souse, Diet Cokes Or Whatever It Takes. But STFU...
TheMadHatter 8 years, 11 months ago
Absolutely correct. If Ingraham had improved our Constitution by making Senators or the Governor General elected persons, and implementing a STRONG Freedom of Information Act (only allowing information from 2012 forward) - that would also have helped us greatly.
But they told the people they could just suck teeth. So now we are here where we are.
Paying VAT to put foreigners through our public schools for free, and giving them free health clinics - while our people suffer.
That's the legacy of the FNM - hurry up and give passport before election - party.
TheMadHatter
duppyVAT 8 years, 11 months ago
Were you around in 2002????????????????
TheMadHatter 8 years, 11 months ago
Yes, you mean the failed Constitution referendum? Where the FNM waiting until just a couple months before election to do the referendum and didn't put any (hardly) explanation to the people about the points they were making - and the PLP was able to lie and tell the people all kinds of foolishness to get them scared while the FNM stood by quietly and did not use the power of ZNS tv, the newspapers, etc to education the people differently?
Yeah I was around then, and remember it clearly. It was clear that Ingraham just wanted to show his face on the subject and not actually achieve it.
duppyVAT 8 years, 11 months ago
Well .............. Ingraham tried to do something .............. Perry has already put out two Commission reports and still we are no closer to ONE Constitutional referendum vote to change ONE Article in the said Constitution under Perry 2.0
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