Mia: Job cuts coming to Barbados

Prime Minister Mia Mottley

(BARBADOS NATION)  Barbadians will be given details of Phases Two and Three of Government’s Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan in the next two weeks.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley said so on Tuesday as she also gave an assurance that in any reconstruction exercise, there will not be the thousands of layoffs in the public service as suggested in figures constantly advocated by former Central Bank Governor Dr DeLisle Worrell.

“Reconstruction cannot be as the former Governor of the Central Bank wants it. This Government is not in that,” Mottley declared.

While speaking on a resolution to approve a salary increase for public servants, the Prime Minister countered “five thousand or six thousand people are not five thousand or six thousand mangoes on a tree to be picked . . . they are people who have responsibilities to themselves and their families and I say to you that whatever else is done, the structure of Government has to follow the purpose of Government. . . .”

The Prime Minister admitted there would be casualties in the restructuring exercise, but she was adamant the consequences would not be “four or five or six thousand” job losses.