Thorne blasts Govt over unpaid fisherfolk benefits

Opposition leader Ralph Thorne, MP for the island’s largest fishing community, Oistins, on Thursday kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism of the government’s handling of the recovery effort for fisherfolk in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, accusing the administration of unfair treatment of those awaiting benefit payments.

At a media briefing held at his Hincks Street office where he was joined by over 20 fisherfolk, Thorne said that despite promises of monthly benefits of $2 000 for boat owners and $1 500 for fishers and vendors under the Business Interruption Benefit, many had yet to receive any of the promised payments despite repeated assurances of support.

The business interruption benefit programme, meant to provide financial support to workers in the blue economy, was introduced after Hurricane Beryl’s storm surges destroyed around 200 fishing vessels in July.

Thorne described the situation as unfortunate given the importance of the sector to the economy and culture of Barbadian society. He asserted that the government owed it to the fisherfolk to provide the promised financial assistance, particularly in light of the substantial financial support given to other sectors.

“If you are going to do a little something, do it properly,” he said. “Why have some been excluded? And why have some – a minority I suspect – been included?”

“Make good on the promise to pay the fisherfolk the paltry sums that you have promised, and to extend those payments into the festive season of Christmas, and to take it into January. If you don’t do that, we are going to disclose to Barbadians the figures of assistance that have been given to the glamorous sectors of this economy. If you don’t do it, we will tell the people of Barbados how well you treated others, and how badly you [are] treating the fishing industry.”

The opposition leader insisted that the delay in disbursement was unacceptable and called for greater respect for these workers.

“This is a government that finds it possible to get large concessions to other areas of economic life…. There are other sectors over the years that have received massive assistance from the government, and there is a kind of begrudging regard for this [fishing] industry. Aren’t these people too, aren’t these citizens too, or do we consider them to be the people that you come and photograph if you want to make art?” he questioned.

Thorne noted that his team had met with the fishing community a few weeks before to discuss these concerns. Following the talks, correspondence was sent to the chief fisheries officer to inquire about the delay but so far, no formal response has been received, he added.

He also repeated claims boat builders made to him that the industry could take up to three years to return to full capacity unless significant financial intervention is made to support the affected workers, alongside further investments to repair and replace boats.

When asked if the fisherfolk had completed the necessary applications to receive the promised payouts, Thorne declared: “All of these ladies and gentlemen who are yet to receive payments went through the process of application and registration with Fisheries [Division]; there is nothing left to be done by these ladies and gentlemen. They can’t make any excuses…. Government is simply refusing to pay them.”

Initially, Thorne set a one-week deadline for the government to issue the payments. He later amended this, saying: “Pay these people by tomorrow.”

In response later on Thursday, Minister of the Blue Economy Adrian Forde refuted Thorne’s accusations, saying that the government had so far disbursed $1 553 921.60 in Business Interruption Benefits.

Forde acknowledged that several challenges had impeded the smooth payment of funds. Among these were incomplete vendor forms and the absence or inaccuracy of vital information needed to process the payments — including identification numbers,  TAMIS tax ID numbers, and banking information.

Over the past several weeks, the ministry has made numerous appeals to boat owners, captains, and crew members to visit the Fisheries Division to register for the programme, he added. Additional staff has been brought on board to assist those experiencing difficulty with the applications.

Despite these efforts, Minister Forde said, many individuals in the industry had still not come forward to fill out the forms. He encouraged those who had not yet completed the forms correctly to go to the ministry and finalise the process.

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb