Pat on back for social partnership

Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment Ryan Straughn has lauded the island’s social partnership for what he sees as a great collective effort to keep the costs associated with various goods down.

Straughn, who gave a ministerial statement on the floor of the House of Assembly on Tuesday, said that given the harsh economic climate Barbados and other small island developing states were experiencing over the past few years because of COVID 19, supply disruptions, and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the fact that many of the small and large stakeholders on the island within the various business communities can come together and agree on cost-saving measures for the benefit of consumers is commendable.

“Over the last 32 years our country has benefited from the formation of the Social Partnership, which has seen us through some difficult times. Over the last year we have engaged on matters first relating to supply and logistics and then issues relating to cost of living.

“We’ve had strong engagement over the past few weeks where we recognized that the voluntary compact of how we treat each other is critical to who we are as Barbadians.

“Last Saturday morning, the Government and some members of the business community signed a compact on prices of specific items, which was witnessed by representatives of the labour movement.

“Under the compact, supermarkets, wholesalers, distributors and farmers, have all reviewed their markups. For the items under review, it was agreed for the most part, that their markups would be no higher than between 12 per cent to 15 per cent to ensure that every Barbadian household, but in particular the vulnerable, can benefit from these items.”

Items which will see varying reductions over the coming days will range from whole chickens, chop-mixed chicken, stew chicken and chicken backs, eggs, evaporated milk, baby food milk, 2 per cent milk, New Zealand cheddar cheese, soya bean or sunflower cooking oil, rice, long macaroni, Eclipse biscuits and Sodabix singles or multipack biscuits, salt bread for all of the bakeries, white sandwich bread and whole-wheat bread, oranges, apples, sardines, tuna (whether in oil or water), sardines (whether in oil or water), corned beef, split peas, pigeon peas, tin and fresh black eyed peas, flour and margarine and others. (SB)