Workers at State-owned enterprises are being put on notice that there are still more layoffs to come as Government seeks to manage a huge wage bill.
“We’ve sent home so far just about 1,000 [people],” Prime Minister Mia Mottley said today on the call-in programme Down To Brass Tacks on Starcom Network Inc.
“There are still a few more layoffs, what I call the peak structural layoffs, to come in one or two State-owned enterprises.”
The Prime Minister said the additional layoffs will come during Phase three of the Government’s restructuring programme for the Barbados economy.
“Phase three starts in April this year and goes to December 2020 to deal with some of those State-owned enterprises that require a greater amount of time and process to go in and do what has to be done so that you don’t end up without the services that have to be delivered.”
Noting that Government’s entire wage bill was $780 million, she said some 10,000 people would have been placed on the breadline if her administration had not undertaken the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan (BERT).
“No wonder you heard the former Governor of the Central Bank talking about sending home about 5,000 or 6,000 people . . . But imagine what would have happened if we’d sent home five times that [1,000], if you have the kind of crying and dislocation that we’ve seen, legitimately so, from what we sent home,” Mottley said.
The Prime Minister also addressed what she said was the recent chatter about overtime, noting that she has no fundamental issue with a suggestion made by the trade unions.
“The restriction of overtime was not a suggestion of the Government. It was a suggestion that came from the unions in the social partnership. We think that it is a fair comment because if we can restrict overtime to allow less people to be sent home and laid off, I think that is a fair thing,” Mottley said.
“These are some of the things that we have been dealing with and I ask Bajans to stay focus. You cannot say that the Government does not have a growth programme when the same Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation is premised on a growth programme and not only austerity measures.”
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When this woman dun with bout hey no body like them ain’t gone got no work
Not good at all
Where dem gon guh?
The lazy folks gone be home
Roseta Forde
And more consultants coming on….Mia Careless
A Voice in the country said “i get sent home got bills and a loan to pay belive if i go plant lil bajan green to support my family i gine get lock up wha i dont know what to do now” i said give me the vote and watch ma ……….
No no you find a way to keep the people in the job. No politics I voted for you and u supposed to work for me.
The ramifications of an IMF programme is horrendous. This is just the beginning….next on the agenda is to start selling the assets and devaluation. #justsaying
Brothers and sisters help each other. Years ago neighbors helped each other. Remember if you receive help from someone , hopefully that someone would help another one.
Welcome to the hard reality of ECONOMICS.
Well boys and girls I heard some ole folks say we poorer now than in the fifties the main difference is the car replace donkey cart and big house the old chattel house.
When it done some of us will be wiped out.
Grow yah vegetables in yah back yard and sell to the neighborhood. Dem would not have to get them from d supermarket.
Come together as a group approach the said government, rent somewhere, get the 5k from them raise some chickens, sell them an pay back d people an mek some money.
BGUR don’t throw Wunna hands in the air and call it quits there a nuff Services that Wunna can offer & think of……its time to get off yah fat arse.
This is a unprecedented attack by a government on they labour force the worst thing about how this administration is going about this is physiologically disabling to the work force if u gine send home 2 thousand say u gine send home 2 thousand not pick pick sending home 50 now then another 60 later stupesssssss stop playing with people emotions with them not knowing if them is the next to go home or not just saying
Captain this ship is sinking Captain these seas are rough …should I abandon ship or stay on and perished slow me naw no
Stop creating those high paying jobs.
I am a BLP supporter, but you are sending home all the people at the bottom and bring all consultants
The people at the bottom have family to feed just like the people at the top.
People actually believed that politicians cared about poor black people ??? They never did and never will care about us as we are at the bottom of the food chain so while government could have gone after the rich and wealthy that owed taxes and take those millions and pay off some of the country debt they instead have opted for an IMF program that will only hurt the poor. Makes me wonder if the government really cares or that was just a catchy election phrase used to get the asses I meant masses to vote. Someone told me the M does be silent in masses when it comes to politics
Dispite dont like hearing the word I.M.F, as i see them as a destabaliser, we all have to put our minds together and get out of this mess, i see many foreign nationals coming in and getting work, while chosen over our nationals at a cheaper rate and not on that tax list.
Don’t blame the government, they are only trying to make wrong things right. Lock up all the people who raped the country and got it in the state it’s in. Also, we are not the only Caribbean island who has had to go through this, are they not coming back piece at a time. Furthermore when you all put them in power what were you expecting them to do. You should left DEM other people in and i wonder what you”ill saying all now.
Clueless bunch
More lay offs to come for the Common people but more $25,000 per month Consultants to COME
Go Mia Go, Go Mia, yuh got one term to do thee Cat thee Dog and even thee puppy
Let me tell you,ya better, stay on it other wise you’ll sink
@Joan Doyle: Barbadians were warned, worst off some Barbadians ridiculed any one who dared to speak against Mia Mottley and the B L P. So yes, they’re getting exactly what they voted for. A Mottley styled country, likened to when the late Ernest D Mottley and company treated Barbados like a macro welfare state with their handouts. This is acceptable for anything bearing the Motley brand name. I’m not surprised that the apple is still under the same tree. You people will have to learn a very hard and bitter lesson in Mottleyism.
What she is preparing us for now is an indication that the BERT is not hitting the targets as we are being made to believe. This legislation requiring civil servants to be involved publicly in the estimates presentation is just an effort to place the blame of failure at the feet of the civil service seniors. This is the biggest move of deception yet by this administration. Wow.
People in the WI dressing room a bunch of Numb Skulls.
You lost he plot when you win the toss and put England into bat.
FIRE BYPUS right Now.
After see done lay off everybody she gone hire a consultant on proverty eradication wanna get nuff promises she knew she couldn’t keep but hey at leas we get 2 garbage trucks
Well she making hands available for the devil
“Government seeks to manage a HUGH wage Bill”. By now I thought that a “few” Ministers would have been gone and Ministries merge in order to save some money and not try to thin out the work force down to it’s bear bones. These high paying Consultants are a slap in the Voters face when all keep looking for CHANGE from the hardship in the past .
These are the same people that say they care about people and as many of you all said is only the ones at the bottom of the table is going home. no need for 30 ministers and a big senate to. This is where the most money is going in salary so when your house get take up your car’s and you have nothing to feed yourself with can you go to thes people and ask for money. No you can’t
The guy leading BERT was on record in the press as saying that the final number will be more like 2500. Why are the politicians playing around with the numbers and using language like a “few more”. What exactly is a few more?
Come on bajans, wahna smarter than this. The Government can employ the whole of Barbados. They don’t produce anything for profit. Salaries are paid by taxes. If you have 10 employees and they pay you 20% of their wages of which you pay them 100%, how do you keep them employed.
A good government does the right thing wether or not it’s popular.
Let us stay positive,pull together and be productive.This is our country that we all must Support along with our Government
….for every “consultant” $8000+ per month , we can keep at least 8 persons at BDS$300 per week at their post and afloat during these hard times., Every extra minister, over and above the 15 “required”, – 20 persons each; ( ie. 280+ persons ). Do the Maths and watch the result…..don’t need no Einstein…let’s get real!
hmmm…..more layoffs and more crime…just saying
Make sure that the people that are being sent home is not the only bread winner on the house..I know of a situation where all four member in a house are working..and 3 of them have Government jobs.
Buy 2 police commissioner wow
@Orson E. Boyce: We’ll all do what your’e suggesting when we get a government that behaves as though it cares about people, and also ask it’s ministers to sacrifice with the people.
After all, Mia said, “we’re in this together”. Now it’s her and her friends together, and we dangling by the strings of poverty.
Barbadians were warned about “careless Mia” but no one listened. The hardship you are now experience is the results of your refusal to listen.
I am told that workers are now saying that they would prefer Sinckler and Freundel no action plan than careless mia Ernie and Bert plan.
Well insult is now going to be added to your injuries. If you have been following some amendments to key pieces of legislation dealing with the judiciary, police, planning, defense and security it clear that power is skillfully being transferred to the office of the prime minister.
Could it be that all this power is being placed in the hands of the prime minister so as to unilaterally foist Republican status on Barbados rather than by democratic vote by the citizens of this country?
Would Barbadians have other choices other than David Simmons and Elliott Mottley to choose from to be their first president?
Because democrats believe government creates jobs
What ever happen to ‘JOB NO. 1 IS JOBS’? this country needs a cleanup, litter everywhere, that in itself is work for many persons….
Sending home people and increasing the cost if living contracts the economy not stimulate it
The world is run and control by the globalists!
If I leave my two cents here she gonna get word and tell trump keep me down hey but phuc it imma say it. MIA WHAT THE PHUC U DOINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG ? CONVINCE ME THAT ALL THESE DECISIONS SOMETHING GOOD GONNA COME OUT OF IT… NOT A SOUL @ME. I SAID WHAT I SAID
The Central Banks around the world, includes Barbados are control by the Rothschilds! who are the Rothschilds? Capitalists!
What the government need to do at this time is to take a serious look at which consulting firms or consultants that their are using because these same people could be ripping off the government funds for their own selfish gains.
wanna sending home the small people and creating BIG jobs fah wanna friends that already got ah dollar,how wanna expect poor people to live,we have bills to pay children to send school loans to pay and we still gotta eat…..smh
All the time so wanna laying off the people at the bottom and hiring people as consultants and giving them a whole heap of money it’s time some of those big up that wanna put there go home to stupse
The government needs to becareful of many of those consultants, who are sheeps in wolves clothing, they will use the government money to do insider trading, the end results would be that the investment would never be honored, not a red cent in interest, funds lost for good and more innocent people will lose their employment. History repeats itself if people are not careful, if it looks like it have hidden clauses, believe your gut instinct that something isn’t right.
This is something that that none of the main two GOVERNMENTS in barbados seem to undestand, sending home ppl aint gine slove nothing in barbados, you keep send home ppl and hiring ppl that you must pay thousands a month,,then the private ppl gine use that as a copout to send home ppl,, having they work being done by less ppl and getting the same profit or more with a reduce staff, GOVERNMENT NEED TO GET INTO BUSINESS, taxes along cant do it for bar bados and countries as small as barbados, dont care if the private sector complain get into business and offer goods and services as reduce prices, open one or two supermarkets give government workers a card so them can show with ID to get discounts, open a gas station or two, government ppl can get gas with discount showing the same card, this card will be renewed yearly for a small fee of $150, cause it would be a multi purpose card, do something to help bring in more money, what d hell, wanna dumb or something, when prices start to go up around the world then what gine happen, put things in place to earn money, stop depending on taxes along, i dont see barbados generating external economies of scale, so then try to generate internal economies of scales then, my gosh, wanna mekking thing so farning hard
Well done Mia, keep doing what ya doing.
How many ppl Mia say get laid off.
“About 1000 so far”
Mia you lie, some Ministries send home more than 50 people across departments.
By the way I though you was buying 60 buses by October/ Novemberto help ease the travelling public?
When you going start dropping ministers and consultants or you trying to prove only loyalist can be employed?
Oh dear
This PM sending home bottom feeders but hiring consultants and keeping 30 cabinet ministers,guess the smart folks can see what’s really up unlike the yard fowls.
As sad as it is about upcoming layoffs none of this should surprise any of us,The DEMS raped this country of every cent and all I can say is GOD saved Barbados the 24th May,for if u people want to hear it or not we would have been doomed under another term with Fraundel Administration.Instead of 1,000 it would have been 15,000.We need to be cursing Chris Sinckler and his croonies.God has not started on DEM yet.
wait where carl and horrible harry? drop some consultants get rid of some half day ministers
Since the Transport Board is retrenching some of its staff ,mainly drivers, to reduce the Driver to Available-Bus Ratio, until such a time it takes receipt of its promised electric buses, will the same sword of Democles be hanging over the heads of Sanitation Service Authority employees ? who have a far worse Employee to Available -Garbage Truck ratio, given that there are three persons per truck and only a few trucks available, until they get their promised million-dollar trucks.
This is what happens when a people give up the industry and keep the pride.
@Greengiant
The UPP was supposed to take the government on May 24 as the best alternative, and you guys ended up with almost as many votes as Natalie and not a single seat. Now you are on to something else and preaching doom and gloom from every room. Thank Barbados Today for giving you this “parliament” from where you can spew your drivel.
Who knows what the real and true numbers are. We re now told that the number is 1000.
This paper reported on 11 December 2018 that the figure was 1282. See who they said the information came from.
https://barbadostoday.bb/2018/12/11/deep-cuts-2/
On 10 December 2018 another Government Minister in another section of the press but on the same call in program (I don’t know which day it was) said that the number was greater than 1000.
So who really knows how many have gone home due to retrenchment.
How you can be PM and don’t know that 1450 gone home already.Well,well,well
@Carl Harper: Unlike you Barbados Today knows a form horse, and can see the future of Barbados. One election does not make a political party Carl.
Mia cares
It seems to me the Civil service is a bloated bureaucracy that needs to go on a diet, The Great Errol Barrow once called it an Army of Occupation.
All a wunna DEM YARD FOWLS,PIMPS and PALING COCKS and those who look like wunna getting on as though it IS MIA and the BARBADOS LABOR PARTY that got us in the position that we find ourselves in today.
All wha wunna doing is coming here to display all ya CHUPIDITY just to mek wunna selves feel sweet and wet up wunna under clothing…..look… go and bade wunna selves.
@Greengiant: “One election does not make a political party Carl.”
What does FOUR consecutive election losses make a political party leader?
Who are we to believe? At a meeting with the social partnership meeting last year, the PM reported about 1250 sent home of the 1500, now you say 1000! I know we pass about 3000 and counting but who cares about numbers right! It’s about country and consultants right!
Dont believe a word politrickians say….what a waste of time and what type of system is this…..Sending poor ppl home and taking on ppl extracting a bigger salary…
Mia is a joke along with the DLP Jokers….All in bed together, selfish to the core !!
Oh what short memories we have! Here are some more headlines on the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) government 2014 layoffs:
February 11, 2011 – No layoffs
PM Freundel Stuart: “We had to take a decision in the interest of the society to ensure that people’s lives were not disrupted and families thrown into confusion by a carnival of layoffs….”.
January 31, 2014 – [DLP] Layoffs begin
Upset workers who were running between the NHC and the National Union of Public Workers claimed that the [DLP] Government had broken its own rule by dismissing workers from the same household.
January 31, 2014 – [DLP] Ministers mum on layoffs
Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler has now gone silent on the 3,000 public workers who the Freundel Stuart Administration told the country would start going home from today. And Minister of Labour and Social Security Senator Esther Byer-Suckoo is not saying a word publicly about the layoffs either….[not even “sorry”?].
February 2, 2014 – Sir Roy: NHC layoffs “dastardly “
Callous and dastardly. That’s how General Secretary of the Barbados Workers Union, Sir Roy Trotman, is describing the manner in which up to 300 workers at the National Housing Corporation were laid off on Friday. Stating that there is no defense for such “uncouth behaviour”…
May 2, 2014 – Labour ministry to intervene in NCC layoffs
Tempers flared this morning as officials from the island’s two trade main public sector unions – the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) – met with displaced National Conservation Commission(NCC) employees.
May 4, 2014 – Sinckler: Layoffs on track
Between 2,500 and 2,800 public servants have been retrenched so far. That’s according to Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Chris Sinckler, who says the number of laid off workers at the National Conservation Commission is still uncertain.
May 14, 2014 – Layoffs critical to recovery
According to Senator Jepter Ince, The Freundel Stuart administration is not proud of the fact that it has had to layoff thousands of public servants, but views it as part of critical restructuring that must be carried out.
May 15, 2014 – Public workers deflated after retrenchment
Public sector workers who have survived Government’s retrenchment programme have been left deflated and unable to produce at their optimum.
May 18, 2014 – PM [Freundel Stuart] satisfied with modest retrenchment
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart feels satisfied that Government’s wages and salaries bill has been reduced by “process of modest retrenchment” of an estimated 3,000 public officers in 2014. [Modest? Satisfied?]
The DLP 2014 massive layoffs of 3,000+ public workers came following an election campaign promise that “not a single public worker would be sent home”. It was a retrenchment exercise that led to nowhere other than the Employment Rights Tribunal. Four years later the deficit was still too wide and the debt out of control — $15 billion and nothing to show for it.
As Verla Depeiza said: “Sometimes the medicine is bitter like gall but it is the thing that kills the worm”. Remember that “bitter” medicine that was so good for the “worms” in 2014?
Carl thanks for reminding these disgruntled Dem yardfowls of the previous layoffs in 2013 where according to Mr Stuart not one was to be laid off.In fact close to 5000 were lai off some both breadwinners in one household.These Dems have selective memories.Therefore because of the Dems try a thing metod we are where we are today.This government now has to clean up the mess left by the Dems which will take years so some of the dems above like Patty and Greengiant could save us the crocodile tears.
@Lorenzo
Greengiant is female and is one of the few remaining survivors of the United Progressive Party (UPP). So don’t get tie up. With the recent mass defections from the UPP, no one can be sure which part of them is “united”.
@Lennox Phillips: Check before you make those accusations. The Owen Arthur administration created the most jobs, most State Owned Enterprises, employed the most public servants in any single term in Barbados’ history.
After the restructuring during the 90’s by Erskine Sandiford, Arthur got a well prepared pitch on which to bat. He and his cabinet that included the current Prime Minister, and our blogger Carl Harper failed to restructure the public sector. Instead they borrowed money locally, regionally, and internationally. Sold our land, sold bonds, investment certificates and other treasury notes to finance the island’s consumption appetite. The Dems failed to address this issue when they assumed office in 2008 even with their communication to the nation. Maybe Thompson and his internal B L P operative signed a pact of non disclosure which has no bearing now that he’s died.
The statement made after Thompson’s death, “the Kingmaker dies with the king” were very significant. The Kingmaker then became the Queenmaker. Barbadians need to be reminded about these strong significant statements, and the influence these people have on our elections. So Carl Harper and company while your B L P has no room for growth, and are on the decline, the UPP is primed for growth, and will grow even with the the well organized and planned targeting of our members. We shall not be moved.
The final figure for those being fired by this BLP regime will be `10,000. Mia already knows the total figure, but is as sly as a fox. A few hundreds there, a few hundreds there, is the simple way to fool people into believing the final figure will be small.
@Greengiant “One election does not make a political party Carl.”
What does FOUR consecutive election losses make a political party leader?
CARL “LIZ” HARPER you’re just wraped, always trying to make two wrongs a right, that is a politician right there.
Greengiant are you serious?Mr Arthur inherited a good wicket with unemployment at 25%?I am convinced you are still a Dem yardfowl to make such a rediculous statement.Greengiant your leader needs to win a seat.
@John Sobers… I’d be grateful if you could elaborate.
I for one am concerned (no matter what any one says, whether or not Atherley manufactures an Opposition party) that there is no elected opposition, no checks and balances, no real holding the Government to account in what has, in my opinion, become a one party state.
Where there is no credible opposition there exists the makings of a dictatorship!
As for Ms Mottley…
For all the finger pointing, slating and bickering, in what was often abusive campaigning against the DLP, I have no doubt that when her manifesto was written she absolutely knew she would be laying off workers…
Pillar One; Every Bajan Matters… Yeah right!
There’s always more than one way to skin a cat. Politicians can make numbers read any way they like to satisfy their ideology and agenda’s
@CARL HARPER, HARRY TURNOVER, I aint B OR D, but face the facts, bajans aint all together foolish, if you send home 20 trade men from BWA at 2000 a month, then hire 3 ppl at the BTPB at 50,000 you aint saving nothing, you spend a dime to earn a nickle, cause when this whole so called thing at the BTPB get sorted out who gine make sure things keep in place, that is why i asking how many years this 3 month contract is for,
While addressing the 38th graduation ceremony of the Barbados Community College in 2011, former PM Freundel Stuart said tertiary education will remain free across the board. He maintained that reintroducing tuition fees would be a step backwards in the country’s development. “Not a single public worker would be sent home,” shouted Freundel while campaigning in St George for Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo.
And right after emerging victorious in the 2013 elections, public workers were sent home en masse – over 3,500 of them, and UWI students had to cough up as much as $9,000 per year in tuition fees. Those who could not afford to pay, became dropouts by the wayside. Nowhere in the DLP Manifesto were these two dastardly acts against humankind mentioned.
The Party of the poor is now best known for making poor people poorer. See why Bajans should never trust the lied and forked tongue Dems ever again?
Roger Parish wrote: “…bajans aint all together foolish….”
Why would a three-month contract last more than three months? It is just humanly impossible! But I get your point and concern. Just playing around wid ya. The bigger picture ought to be how those slimy Dems raped Transport Board and brought in to its knees.
There is much to be done to clean up the mess left behind by those crooked Dems within the next five years. This is a mammoth undertaking. Dems “mash up” de economy and TB, so we need all hands on deck — all except de light-fingered Dems.
Here comes Mia Hood. Taking from the poor and giving to the rich.
Remind DEM CARL HARPER…ya got DEM heads spinning like a pop kite one such head so KNOT UP he says DEM left 9 billion and the BEES 6 billion not knowing that was DEBT the experts were talking bout…see how IGRUNT DEM people is ???..
What about those who remain?
When will this psc5 thing every 3 months and dropping off the paysheet stop
It’s ridiculous working in a post 3,4,5+ years then not be paid because of a psc5
It’s actually backward and archaic
People working 20+ years and qualified, treated as though they are begging for a job
One way government can do this as well, is to just dont hire any one else when some one goes home from a department, this would be carried out at the not so high profile places like the HOSPITALS, POLICE , FIRE SERVICES, PORTS, CUSTOMS etc, if you get my driff, dont rehire, and give ppl over the age of 64, with out any loan payment a package, this is all of the money owed,in a month after going home, up to age 64, plus a full pension to start three months after, ppl would just move up in to positions untill the country is back up and running,
This woman is destroying the lives of poor BLACK BARBADIANS.
Not a WHITE BAJAN or INDIAN MUSLIM feeling the pinch of the shoe only BLACK PEOPLE.
@CARSON CODAGON, on the other hand you are a fool, i really dont like one sided ppl, after all the DLP HAVE DONE IN 10 YEARS, now put your mouth on the pistal