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San Sal's 'lifeblood' terminates 190 staff

Fears were mounting yesterday that San Salvador will suffer a population drain as the island's Club Med "lifeblood" terminated its 190 staff amid warnings the resort may not re-open until 2022.

‘No perfect fix’ for catching COVID at work

LABOUR Director John Pinder said there is no “perfect fix” that could eliminate the likelihood of employees being exposed to COVID-19 on the job as many occupations require personal contact with other people.

Pinder sued for certifying union election results

LABOUR Director John Pinder is being sued for certifying the results of the Bahamas Public Services Union’s recent election in which BPSU president Kimsley Ferguson and his team were returned to top executive positions.

Resort’s reopening seen as trigger for recovery

LABOUR Director John Pinder said officials are excited about the spin-off economic benefits to come from major resort openings next month.

Economy rebound ‘in six months’

LABOUR Director John Pinder said yesterday he believes the Bahamian economy will start to rebound from COVID-19’s impact in the next six months now that the country has started its phased re-opening of the tourism industry.

‘Firms haven’t got money for severance payments’

LABOUR Director John Pinder said most employers do not have sufficient revenue to give severance packages to their employees if the government declines to extend its unemployment benefits programme.

Pinder predicts 'a silver lining behind dark clouds'

LABOUR Director John Pinder said officials expect more job layoffs in the coming weeks, but he appealed to employers to have patience as a “silver lining is behind these dark clouds”. This comes just a few weeks after he said unemployment “will not

Pinder doubts shutdown will see job losses increase

WHILE optimistic about the current national lockdown, Director of Labour John Pinder said he doubts unemployment will increase during this period due to the extended NIB unemployment programme that is giving employers a necessary break.

SMOKESCREEN: Companies accused of exploiting COVID to target specific staff

LABOUR Director John Pinder said while he believes most companies have had to lay off workers due to decreased business from the COVID-19 pandemic, he thinks there are some who have been using the pandemic as an excuse to get rid of certain employees.

Unemployment back to 'single digits' by 2022

The government’s top labour official is projecting that various “anchor projects” will return The Bahamas’ jobless rate to “single digit” levels by the end of 2022. John Pinder, the director of labour, told Tribune Business that multiple development

Crisis takes toll in jobs at Grand Bahama shipyard

The Grand Bahama Shipyard has terminated 27 workers, including several long-serving managerial staff, due to a further slump in business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Labour chief: 2,500 in termination threat

The government’s top labour official yesterday warned that 2,500 employees are threatened with termination unless the period in which they can receive unemployment benefit is doubled to 26 weeks.John Pinder, director of labour, told Tribune Business

NIB expects 15,000 to sign on for benefits

DEPARTMENT of Labour director John Pinder expects that around 15,000 people affected by the tourism sector shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic will register to receive National Insurance Board benefits.

Pinder: We could cut 20,000 work permits

THE government’s push to tackle unemployment and crack down on immigration issues must factor in scrutiny of work permit approvals, Department of Labour Director John Pinder said yesterday.

Pinder defends proposals to revoke work permits

DIRECTOR of Labour John Pinder further defended the department’s understudy/apprenticeship programme yesterday, days after saying he wanted employers’ work permits revoked if they failed to appoint and properly train apprentices. “...It has nothing

100 GB airport workers at risk

Government and trade union officials yesterday voiced fears that all 100 employees of the Grand Bahama International Airport Company may be terminated due to the drop-off in flights post-Dorian. John Pinder, director of labour, confirmed to Tribune

Pinder warned over 'blunt' visa crackdown

GOVERNMENT officials must take care not to promote xenophobic positions that suggest foreign is bad for the country when compared with Bahamian labour, Gowon Bowe told The Tribune yesterday.

'Time to get tough on work permits'

DEPARTMENT of Labour Director John Pinder wants employers’ work permits revoked if they fail to appoint and properly train apprentices as part of their succession planning.

Top labour official: No need for general strike

The Government's top labour official yesterday argued there was no need for a general strike, which should be the “last thing” trade unions should resort to. John Pinder, director of labour, told Tribune Business that Obie Ferguson, the Trades Union

$300 a week: Pinder reveals new target for minimum wage

THE government is looking to raise the minimum wage in the public sector to at least $300 per week, Labour Director John Pinder said yesterday.

Baker’s Bay could offer up to 1,500 jobs as it rebuilds

BAKER’S Bay Golf and Ocean Club will need between 1,000 and 1,500 construction workers to rebuild the resort, according to Director of Labour John Pinder.

NIB strike action postponed

STRIKE action by the employees of the National Insurance Board has been postponed until further notice, according to Director of Labour John Pinder.

Nurses could add to industrial action problems

LOOMING industrial action from the Bahamas Nurses Union could further cripple the country’s public healthcare system, with labour officials yesterday urging the government to immediately meet demands.

Many Labour on Block hires 'temporary'

“Many” of those hired through the government’s Labour on the Blocks initiative were only employed temporarily, the director of labour revealed yesterday.John Pinder, pictured, said the Department of Labour’s follow-up inquiries with employers showed

WSC board dismisses strike votes, questions process

EXECUTIVES at the Water and Sewerage Corporation claim that last week’s strike vote by the unions did not meet the requirements to be granted strike certificates.

‘We’ll help cops probe bugging allegation’

THE Water & Sewerage Corporation has agreed to let police investigate whether illegal listening devices have been used to spy on WSC employees, Labour Director John Pinder said yesterday.

PI resort terminates 19 eatery workers

NINETEEN terminated employees at Paradise Island’s troubled Club Land’Or resort will only receive due severance pay and other benefits when it is sold, a top labour official said yesterday.

Complaint over Ocean Club manager - but workers speak up in support

THE Department of Labour has conducted an investigation into complaints by middle managers at Four Seasons Ocean Club that a foreign senior manager was “verbally abusive” to Bahamian staff.

Labour chief tells nurses leader to quit threats

LABOUR Director John Pinder has told Bahamas Nurses Union President Amancha Williams to stop her threats now that the government has committed to start paying nurses overdue funds this month. A day after the BNU renewed its strike threats, Mr Pinder

‘Work permits need stricter controls’

LABOUR Director John Pinder yesterday expressed a desire to review the application process of long-term work permits, telling The Tribune there should be increased stipulations to guard against abuse.

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