The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Your editorial Wednesday, as well as other news items, including Peter Goudie on the Tribune Business page are all abuzz with talk of “Minimum Wage” and whilst there is no doubt that there are many justifiable cases, I wonder why we never see any news items or discussion about minimum hours or basic work ethic.

These are chronic problems across the Bahamas, both in the Private and Public sectors.

I visited a government office yesterday at about 3:30pm and was told that the office was closed and I should come back tomorrow.

I guess like the web shops, the government was unable to control them so they just legalised them.

School run was the de facto end of day across The Bahamas and since no one returned to work, I suppose the government just decided to legalise a 3pm end of day.

When I returned to the same Government office today at 9:30am and having signed in and told to wait to be called, the panoply of debutant employees, dressed to the nines, continued to roll in until after 10am.

They all had their government-issued identity badges on so there was no mistaking any of them for a public customer.

And as I and the several other people sat waiting to be called, so chronic is the problem that the waiting customers would comment periodically that “they got to eat breakfast before they start work you know”.

So maybe we can discuss a little more of what the minimum wage is being paid for please.

MONKEEDOO

Nassau,

February 16, 2022.