The Tribune

TWO days after a top government official promised to deal with the lack of salary payments to Urban Renewal workers on Grand Bahama, the issue has still not been resolved according to Dion Foulkes.

The former FNM Cabinet minister noted that on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis admitted that more than 50 Urban Renewal workers in Grand Bahama have not been paid for seven months.

At the time, Mr Davis said: “I am going to find out what those challenges are and have them removed today”.

But Mr Foulkes said a full two days later, those workers have still not been paid.

“As I said before, this is indicative of the PLP’s insensitivity and uncaring attitude towards the suffering Bahamian workers and their families,” Mr Foulkes said.

“This is a very serious matter. The PLP government, which is mandated to ensure that the rights of all workers are always protected, is in fact guilty of breaching the same labour laws they are sworn to uphold.

“The very same workers who are mandated to bring help and hope to thousands of Bahamians are themselves in need of urgent assistance.”

In May, around 80 Urban Renewal workers in Grand Bahama were fired by the new PLP government.

Mr Foulkes said most of them are still unemployed.

“They were terminated because they were perceived to be FNM supporters,” he said. “I again call on the government to reinstate these hard working officers, many of whom are heads of families.”