Rick Lowe
Well the day finally arrived when the government has had to layoff staff from the bloated ranks of the BCB or ZNS as we know it.
This is an extremely difficult decision to make as many people in the private sector know.
On the one hand, it is the sensible thing for the government to do, yet on the other everyone feels for the people that have had to lose their jobs.
In the final, one must applaud the decision of the government and hope that those involved have learned from their mistakes of over loading the government agencies, ministries and corporations with staff.
The discouraging responsibility in the name of fiscal prudence they are facing today is a result of their prior irresponsibility. As long as things were "good" they could "hide" the losses. Now they are an albatross.
Unfortunately the horrible world economy may make this a more common occurence in the public and private sectors than any of us care to imagine.
However, creating the right environment for the private sector to grow is governments responsibility. Not trying to be both the government and the private sector.
By the way, let's hope everything works out okay for the laid off workers.
The government, any government’s main objective should be how they can help the private sector to create jobs, unfortunately, for too many years they have used the tax payers money to ensure that they would be re-elected.
In 1992 when the FNM won the government I am reliably told that Mr. Ingraham was advised by party supporters to make major changes in government along these lines, he had the mandate to do it then and in 1997 even a stronger mandate but nothing was done. Now it takes a world wide recession of depression for him to begin to act. I, like Rick am deeply sorry for those unfortunate persons who have lost jobs and I trust they will very quickly join the employed. I also hope that these necessary actions by the government will make them realize that the private sector needs help so they can expand employment of our people.
The Government have to address the failing Corporations B.E.C,Bahamas Electrical Corporation,Bahamasair and Water&Sewage.These failing Corporation have added half Bilion dollars to the 4 Billion dollar debt.If the Government is serious about saving money as was the reason for downsizing Z.N.S.Then the Government have to downsize staff at Bahamasair,B.E.C.Bahamas Electrical Corporation and Water&Sewage.The Government can noi longer keep borrowing money to pay all Government workers employed to keep in power for election 2012.The country can not afford more debt and borrowing money to pay workers when these Government Corporation are not making any profit but having to burrow money to keep them operating,this is where the Government have to prove to the Bahamian people and the Bahamas that it is prepared to do what is good for the country and not what is only good for the F.N.M to win the next election.Without addressing downsizing at these failing Corporations that can take the country into negative debt which will hurt the Bahamas economy and put pressure on the Bahamian dollar.
Thank you both for stopping by and commenting.
I could not agree more with the two of you.
The problem comes at election time when the bill of goods is promised.
For some reason many of us still believe there is something for nothing.
Sad for the individuals involved, but inevitable considering the Government fiscal position, and they were lawfully terminated.
In fact, they appear to have been extra-lawfully terminated, in that the Government gave them more than was required.
I’m not sure how you do that legally, in that it is money from the treasury being dispensed.
Also, once so compensated, unemployment benefits collection is deferred by some period of time equal to the payout figure by my understanding.
Yes, there no doubt is a lot of “dead wood” in the Public Corporations and other parts of government.
All are unionized.
If the reaction to the desirable (inevitable?) down-sizing of these groups is anything like that at ZNS – i.e. a level of uncontrolled violence that the Chief of Police had difficulty controlling, we would not expect much to change.
The entitlement mentality of so many government employees is a legacy of the PLP government. How to change it is a monumental challenge.