By DANA SMITH
Tribune Staff Reporter
dsmith@tribunemedia.net
WITH Independence just passed, one woman who claims to have been unceremoniously “terminated” from her job at an Urban Renewal Centre, said the country is “divided”. Her wishes are for a unified Bahamas where persons are treated fairly, regardless of political allegiance.
Thirty-five-year-old Karen Brown is one of 80 former Urban Renewal employees whose expired employment contracts have not been renewed. They are now accusing the government of “victimisation.”
She claimed she was fired only because she campaigned for the FNM in the last election and described her low-key Independence Day celebration.
Ms Brown said she had served as a Community Service Facilitator since 2008 before being delivered a letter on June 30 stating the government intended to “restructure the programme” as a result her employment contract would not be renewed upon its expiration. They wished her success in the future.
“Let me tell you the embarrassing piece – we were treated like animals,” she said. “I think just like how we respected you to do the job, you should have respected us. You should have come and let (the manager) call a meeting and say to us that we’re not going to be renewed.
“These people are Bahamians,” she continued. “We are not animals. In all of this, no one has never ever sat down and given us a full story or a true story as to why we’re being terminated. Beside this letter nobody has ever said – ‘listen if you want to meet or let’s meet so I can explain to you why you’re being terminated. Let me explain to you what the restructuring is and why we think you’re not going to be able to deal with this mandate’ or even ask us if we can do the job.”
Ms Brown said the PLP has “proven and showed” her that there are two types of Bahamians living in the country.
“There are the drifted Bahamians and then there are the PLP Bahamians,” she said. “The government is looking out for the PLP Bahamians and I could tell you that for a fact. Not one PLP in Urban Renewal had to reapply or worry about where their next pay cheque is coming from.”
Ms Brown added: “I would like to see the government stop politicising Bahamians and make it one Bahamas – stop dividing the Bahamas. I would like to see one day that under this same government that me who is a FNM, could be able to work on the job with somebody who supported the PLP and get the same fair treatment. That’s what we call one Bahamas.
“This country is too divided. We’re too small to still be playing politics with people’s lives – too small. Firing 80 people means 80 families have been victimized – 80 Bahamians.”
Ms Brown said she did not partake in any Independence Day celebrations, but rather lit a candle yesterday and sat it in her window “for hope for our country.”
Comments
spoitier 12 years, 4 months ago
That would've made a great speech when she was hired, what she is saying might be true but waiting until the shoe is turned isn't helping. The problem isn't going to stop anytime soon because no one would do anything about it when their benefitting from it and also in a small Country like the Bahamas it will be political suicide not to give your own people the jobs because you run the risk of loosing them and not gaining the ones that are supporting the other party, sorry that you lost your job but if and when the FNM wins and they offer you a job tell them no because it isn't right to take jobs away from those other folks.
concernedcitizen 12 years, 4 months ago
but they can pay 82 yer old Baltran Bethell 90,000 a year to be a senior consultant to the ministry of finance ,thats about 1600 to 1700 hundred a week to do nothing ,,that could have paid to keep 5 to 6 of those peolple on the job ....plp or fnm everyone needs to feed their family with diginity ,,way to look out for the small man PM PGC .....
Arob 12 years, 4 months ago
This is the same Sir Baltron Bethel who led The Bahamas government's negotiating team during the Bahamas/Baha Mar negotiations. We all know how that worked out!!!
VOLUNTEER BAHAMAS/COMMUNITY SERVICE Sir Baltron service should be a service to the country not a paid position.
concernedcitizen 12 years, 4 months ago
the same Baltron ,the funnel ,Bethell that was at the hotel corp ....it was like when my dad saw B Sands involved with city markets ,,pop sold his little bit of shares the next day ,,,who didn,t ended up w/ toliet paper or bird cage liner...
Arob 12 years, 4 months ago
Execution if the dismissal: The manner of the dismissal cannot be overlooked. The individual(s) who handled the dismissal should be fired because of incompetence or failure to execute his/her/their job properly. The fallout could have been minimized. The fallout is expensive (cost to reputations). Unfortunately, the callous way the situation was handled, the lack of respect, and ridicule (rather than sympathy) for the employees of the Urban Renewal by the Progressive Liberal Party agents have exacerbated this incident.
CatIslandBoy 12 years, 4 months ago
Same Old P L P up to their same old dirty ways. Nothing has changed with these guys. They only know how to govern the way they have always done - divide and conquer. They always take care of their own, and no one else. The various appointments of consultants and board chairs are nothing more than paybacks. It took a massive amount of money for the PLP to mount a successful political campaign. Those gold t-shirts, posters, buttons, etc. cost a lot of dollars (not including the dollars that were folded inside of them). Now they have to pay the piper. These donors have to be rewarded. Nothing more, nothing less.
spoitier 12 years, 4 months ago
That is the name of the game for all of them, until the folks who are benefited from a party stand up and say enough is enough, things will never change and whoever is the opposition they will accuse the governing party of victimization. See while children is playing in the market place, adults above them are making deals that only benefits them, so all of them are going to do the same thing.
concernedcitizen 12 years, 4 months ago
i prefer to talk about the quality of the appointees ,i would take Ella Lewis in urban renewal over the women that said i,m from urban any day of the week and 10 ways on sunday
des 12 years, 4 months ago
HAHA This "article" was too funny.
242 12 years, 4 months ago
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2012…
positiveinput 12 years, 4 months ago
A picture say a thousand words. Isn't it nice to see that when officers were on patrol in a community they assisted some residents with essential groceries (probably a nice old disable citizen). God bless their hearts. Protect and Serve comes in many forms.
concernedcitizen 12 years, 4 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
242 12 years, 4 months ago
That's a good, positive interpretation of the pic....
positiveinput 12 years, 4 months ago
Clear something up for me, besides the 80 persons that did not get their contracts renewed, how many persons in total was apart of this Urban Renewal. Although its sad to hear a person loosing their job, the fact still remains both political parties are responsible for playing 'see-saw' with these U.R. Centers. Let me give you guys a political tip for next election, especially those whose jobs could be affected by its outcome. Sure your political preference should be freely expressed but remember the manner in which you cast your vote; in privacy only between you and God.
As for Ms Karen Brown (directly), you commented in the article, "You should have come and let (the manager) call a meeting and say to us we're not going to be renewed". So besides the method used for your termination, you're quite ok with being terminated - so whats the problem. Six and a half dozen - same thing. Take spoiters advise and next time tell the politicians no to their job offers when you know others would be affected. When one door is closed, another opens, but not if you stay standing in front of the first closed door.
proudloudandfnm 12 years, 4 months ago
EARLY ELECTIONS!!! EARLY ELECTIONS!!! GET THE CROOKS OUT!!!!
concernedcitizen 12 years, 4 months ago
i,,m hungry and i hurt my back yesterday working on the boat ,you think i could call round to U/R and get them to bring me a conch snack ,if they don,t i got the feeling i,m gonna become a one man crime wave ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
242 12 years, 4 months ago
Only if you have on the approved color shirt my friend
spoitier 12 years, 4 months ago
I really don't see how most Bahamian think, they would only blame one party of victimization when both does it. Good, bad or indifferent, anyone who is not tunnel vision would see why this happened; to appease the ones that follow the party, that is politics 101 in a small country. First I don't like neither party because of the victimization and other things that goes on, but look at what the FNM did when they was having the grand opening of the stadium which is suppose to be a Bahamian thing not political, they didn't invite one of our golden girl to the event because they believe she follows another party. If she is affiliated with another party that wouldn't affect the FNM results in an election in any form, so that is pure victimization, if a party lay off workers who follow another party and hired their own that is a move that make sense for them, but not inviting the Golden Girl is just pure grudge.
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