CMPI: ‘March against light bill price hike’

The Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration (CMPI) has called Barbadians to join in a march to protest the proposed increases in electricity bills.

In a brief announcement posted to social media on Tuesday, CMPI’s General Secretary David Denny said the march will take place on November 27 at 10 a.m., from Kensington Oval to Independence Square.

The organisation said it opposes moves by the Barbados Light & Power Company to seek approval for an 11.9 per cent rate hike from the Fair Trading Commission (FTC).

The CMPI intends to stand in solidarity with Barbadians who face financial challenges since the economic downturn triggered by the pandemic, he said.

Denny said: “Our movement is not happy with the proposed plans by Light and Power; our movement is not happy with the granting over permission to Light and Power to increase our light bills before any hearing in relation to proposals that Light and Power made [for an increase] in light bills.

“Our movement will also extend its solidarity with all of the working-class people’s struggles in Barbados because this is a period where many people in Barbados are hurting because of the COVID-19 situation.”

Denny added that while the group supported Barbados becoming a republic on November 30, he insisted that more must be done to ease the burden on working-class Barbadians.

“Our movement will not stop there because our agenda is centred around Barbados becoming a people’s democratic republic,” Denny declared. “We support the position of an elected president by the people, we support the position of constitutional reforms in Barbados that will benefit working-class people. We are demanding that many of our laws be changed to make life easier for [the] working-class people of Barbados. We must empower our people.” (SB)