CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
Antigua
The Antigua and Barbuda government
says it will conduct a study of the
wages and emoluments earned by hotel
workers in order to determine whether
the incomes paid are fair or if they have
kept stride with workers in other industries
and in the public service.
It said that the economic
analysis would
help to guide government
and union in
their determination of
just return to workers in a thriving sector
of the economy.
In a statement, the government said
the hotel industry continues to be a
major employer and every effort must
be made to ensure that it can continue
to attract outstanding talent to
its ranks. The Cabinet is of the view
that the industry ought to be the most
attractive employ, however, it is recognized
that the public sector has become
very attractive to many workers.”
It gave no date as to when the study
would begin or whether or not it would
be undertaken by a local or foreign
organization.
Barbados
The Barbados government has
extended the deadline for the ban on
single-use petro-based plastic bags
from Jan. 1 next year.
It says the ban will now take effect
from April, 1, 2020.
Minister of Maritime
Affairs and Blue Economy,
Kirk Humphrey
said manufacturers of
single-use plastic bags
have over the last year “been able to
produce a bag that is made from a completely
organic compound.
He said Cabinet agreed to delay the
ban on plastic bags from Jan. 1 to
March 31. The ban will take effect from
April 1, 2020.
But the minister made it clear that
this did not mean the Mia Mottley
administration was “reneging on its
promises.”
In early 2019, government enforced
a ban on all petro-based single use
plastic containers, and those caught
using the banned items can and will be
prosecuted.
Bahamas
Bahamas Minister of Education, Jeffrey
Lloyd has condemned the beating
of a student by a woman with frying
pans after she claims the unidentified
child had been engaging in appropriate
behavior at school.
A video recording of the incident has
since been unloaded to social media.
Lloyd said he was offended and
incensed by the display of the abhorrent,
despicable and senseless behavior
Caribbean L 4 ife, January 3, 2020
Updated daily at www.caribbeanlifenews.com
In this May 30, 2010 fi le photo, a soldier frisks a man at a military checkpoint in the crime-ridden Tivoli Gardens neighborhood in
Kingston, Jamaica. Jamaica chalked up 1,428 killings in 2010. Associated Press / Rodrigo Abd, File
by this adult woman.
He said he is appalled by some of the
views expressed in conversations and
the media, which appear to condone
this barbaric act, seeking to justify it
with an often misunderstood the ridiculous
ascertain that “it was done to me
and I turned out ok.”
Lloyd who has in
the past called on the
government to consider
sanctions for
individuals who knowingly
record and transmit instances of
young persons in these kinds of predicaments.
The minister said the UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child notes
that a state must take all appropriate
measures to protect children and that
“no child shall be subjected to torture
or other cruel, inhumane or degrading
treatment or punishment.”
He also said that the Bahamas’ Child
Protection Act specifies that “anyone
who assaults, ill-treats, neglects, abandon
or expose a child in a manner likely
to cause the child suffering or injury
can be jailed for up to five years and
fined up to US$10,000.
Grenada
US Immigration authorities deported
15 Grenadian nationals this year but
local enforcement officials in the Spice
Island have not yet indicated whether
they have been designated as restricted
persons as provided for in the Deportation
Registration legislation.
The legislation, which came into
effect on Oct., 31 2003 requires the
police to have a registry of all deportees.
Under the legislation,
some can be designated
as restricted
persons once the Minister
of National Security
may, by order, upon application by
the Commissioner of Police and upon
being satisfied that it is necessary to
do so in the interest of public safety or
public order.
The US Immigration and Customs
Enforcement Fiscal Year 2019 Enforcement
and Removal Operations Report,
release recently, said that the Grenadians
were among several Caribbean
nationals deported so far for this year.
According to the report, last year,
nine Grenadians were deported and the
2019 figure shows an overall increase
in the number of people deported to
the Organization of Eastern Caribbean
States (OECS) and Barbados.
The report showed that l9 people
were deported to St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, up from 13 last year, while
there had been a small decline for the
number of St. Lucians, with the figure
being 22 as against 28 in 2018.
Barbados reported an increase of 12
this year compared to 17 last year, while
Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda
had significant reductions.
Jamaica
Prime Minister Andrew Holness says
the government will not yield in its
fight against criminal activity in the
country.
He said the government
will not relent
against criminals.
“So, if there any
expectation that if the
States of Public Emergency (SOE) are
not renewed, that will be a field day for
criminals they have another thing coming.
We will put up all our efforts, SOE
or no SOE, to get those criminals,” he
declared.
The prime minister was at the time
addressing a National Housing Trust
(NHT) ceremony for the handover of
housing units in Westmoreland recently.
He said the crime-fighting strategies
includes increasing the integration of
technology and use of forensics to gather
evidence in order to bring criminal
before the courts deploying additional
resources and increasing the presence
of the security forces in towns and communities.
There were 1,203 murders in
2019 up to Dec. 20.
He said that an addition 400 members
of the Jamaica Defense Force
(GDF) were recently deployed resulting
in the quieting down of certain areas
Continued on Page 16
THE NEWS FROM BACK HOME
Jamaica continues to fight crime
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