Walters, Watson get Senate opposition seats
Business executive Ryan Walters, a Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate in the 2022 general election, and lawyer and consumer advocate Tricia Watson were sworn in as the two new opposition senators on Tuesday, a move triggered by Ralph Thorne’s appointment as Leader of the Opposition. In a brief ceremony at State House on Tuesday, Watson […]
Former independent senators express concern about ‘rush’ to pass laws
The two independent senators who demitted office with the appointment of attorney Tricia Watson and businessman Ryan Walters as opposition lawmakers in the Senate have expressed concern about what appears to be a rushed and untidy legislative process in the Upper House. Political scientist and academic Dr Kristina Hinds and former diplomat and Director General […]
DLP: Thorne doesn’t speak for us
The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) on Tuesday made it clear that Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne and his two new Senate appointees – though DLP members – do not represent the party. General Secretary Steve Blackett maintained that Thorne is not a member of the DLP and therefore does not speak for it. “For clarity, I […]
Thorne slams Gov’t over labour Bill; AG says law on solid ground
Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne blasted the government on Tuesday in his maiden speech since crossing the floor from the government benches in the House of Assembly, declaring a proposed labour law an assault on constitutional rights that legislates punishment of business. He called on the Mia Mottley administration to revisit a “curious” Labour Clauses (Concessions) […]
Round and round we go
We’ve been here before. For the second time, one inevitability has followed another. The electors of Barbados hand an unprecedented mandate to a political party that shuts dissenting voices out of Parliament. Then, shortly after the honeymoon period ends, a lawmaker spies a vacant constitutional post (the Leader of the Opposition is a part of […]
Applications for BCC Nursing Auxiliary Course open
The Barbados Community College (BCC) is inviting interested persons to submit applications for the Certificate in Nursing Auxiliary course, which commences on Monday, May 27. Prospective applicants should be 17 years old and have completed secondary school or have obtained English Language at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate General Level at Grades 1, 2 or […]
‘Race to bottom’ without Labour Concessions Bill – Jordan
Minister of Labour Colin Jordan reiterated on Tuesday that the Labour Clauses (Concessions) Bill is protection for ordinary workers that had the blessing of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU). He claimed that if the government had not intervened by drafting the new legislation there would be a “race to the bottom”. Jordan insisted that the […]
BUT admits to high teacher absenteeism due to ‘frustration’
Teachers have been staying off the job in recent weeks at many schools across the island, the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) confirmed on Tuesday, blaming the educators’ growing frustration with the school system. The revelation came following the latest work stoppage among public school teachers, when most of the 30-plus staff at the St […]
PM on Labour Bill: ‘Leave the misogynists to their views’
Prime Minister Mia Mottley has defended the Labour Clauses (Concessions) Bill, denying any conflict of interest between her administration and the labour movement. She rebuffed accusations that the government was being heavily influenced by labour unions in the process of crafting the Bill, as debate continued in the House of Assembly on Tuesday. Mottley also […]
Moore questions lag in increasing minimum wage
From the backbench of the House of Assembly, General Secretary of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) Toni Moore on Tuesday blasted an apparent slowing of momentum behind raising the national minimum wage, saying that the minimum wage board has not met in the last three years. As Moore, the St George North MP, spoke on […]