Established October 1895 Wednesday March 24, 2021 $1 VAT Inclusive Caddle: Right time HOUSING HELP for hike in WITHIN the next nine Corporation (NHC) for within the City for hous- are already in use at unit construction, so that to ten months, another rental. ing at this time. And un- Forde’s Road, Deacons and we can provide more minimum 20 families will be in a With the lands acquired fortunately, the housing Flat Rock. rental units for people position to have a roof and vested by the govern- requirements for people in Going on to say that he who are looking to get over their heads and a ment, each of the five the City of Bridgetown re- is anxious to get the proj- those,” he said. wage place to call home as structures is set to feature main high, but we also ect off the ground, he Noting that the complex A GOVERNMENT one of government’s four 520 square-foot, two- have it high on our prior- added that there is a need would include an active Minister is defending the latest housing ventures bedroom residences, and ity list and we will con- to put more rental units life green space, Minister Administration’s decision should be completed. Minister Bostic called it “a tinue to see where else we into circulation and that Duguid said that he to raise the minimum Yesterday, Minister of dream come true” as resi- can find housing within this is the best spot for the reached a compromise wage come April 1, 2021, Health and Wellness and dential lands are hard to the City,” he said. project. with the Corporation’s contending that despite Parliamentary Represen- come by in the City. With the project slated “Let’s be honest. There Resident Planner the protests from some tative for the City of “From the time I be- to begin in the coming will always be people who Raymond Lorde on the quarters, the time for a Bridgetown, Lt. Col. came Member of Parlia- days and at a price tag cannot afford to purchase area. minimum wage increase Jeffrey Bostic, broke ment for the City of of $550 000 per quad, and will have to rent, and “Personally, I must tell is ripe. ground at the Coombs Bridgetown, this is an Minister of Housing and the National Housing you that I would have put Minister in the House site on Whitepark area that I had my eye on Lands Dr.William Duguid Corporation has not built another quad in there Ministry of Economic Road, which will see five for some sort of housing revealed that his ministry rental units for some time because housing is im- Affairs and Investment, quad structures built by development, because is very comfortable with and now we are looking to portant to me. But I do Marsha Caddle’s com- the National Housing there are very few spaces the design as similar units get back into the rental HOUSING on Page 3 ments came yesterday morning in the House of Assembly as she made her contribution to the de- bate on the Appropriation Bill. Caddle said that what is being proposed by Government is the “very minimum income below which people simply can- not survive. “So defined in that way, Sir, this is exactly the right time in the context of COVID-19, when far too many people are struggling, to look at the question of a minimum wage. It is precisely the right time; I don’t know when could be a better time,” she maintained. According to Caddle, the current minimum wage – which came into effect in 2012 – is $6.25 or $250 for a 40-hour week, and it was never adjusted for inflation nor was it adjusted for the change in prices. Therefore, she said, being at the same level since 2012 means it has not kept pace with the almost 45 per cent increase in prices in the country over the last nine years. Moreover, she said it puts a number of persons below the poverty line. “The poverty line as established in the last survey of living conditions in Barbados in 2016, was $636.17 per person per month, that’s about $160 per week. What does that Minister of Health and Wellness Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic (centre) looks on as Minister of Housing and Lands Dr. William Duguid speaks to mean? That a four-person members of the media. In the background is Chairman of the National Housing Corporation, Morton Holder. RIGHT TIME on Page 2 2 • Wednesday March 24, 2021 The Barbados Advocate Police need help finding missing boy Union questions THE Royal Barbados Keadon is about 137 He frequents the Stadium Police Force is seeking the centimetres or 4 feet 4 Road, Bush Hall, and assistance of the general inches tall, of dark com- Spooners Hill areas, all in safety of returning public in locating a miss- plexion and medium build. St. Michael. ing boy. He is Keadon He has black hair, cut in a Any person, who may Kismar Franklyn, 11 years, high top style, brown eyes know the whereabouts to the classroom old of Butler’s Avenue and speaks with a ‘Bajan’ of Keadon Kismar Frank- SAYING that there is and protocols have Spooner’s Hill, St Michael. accent and a ‘heavy tongue’. lyn, is asked to contact clear understanding by changed, since school He left the residence He is in the habit of biting District ‘A’ Police Station the Barbados Secondary closed, to deal with of his mother Harriet his nails. at telephone number Teachers’ Union (BSTU) the present reality of Holligan of the said He was last seen wearing 430-7242 or 430-7246, that the COVID-19 Unit ongoing community address about 7:30 pm a blue three quarter Police Emergency at 211, can inspect and declare a spread? on Monday March 22, 2021 pants and a neon green tee Crime Stoppers at 1-800- physical building ready 13. Some first world and has not been seen or shirt. His hobbies are flying TIPS (8477), or the nearest Eleven-year-old Keadon for reopening, there is a countries have reopened heard from since. kites and riding bicycles. police station. Kismar Franklyn. need to consider the schools,but with wide- many other aspects of ranging and very strin- equal or greater impor- gent health and safety tance that impact on the measures to protect the BWU head: Some employers readiness of a school for users of school plants. In safe reopening and oper- fact, some states in the ation in our present cir- USA have indicated that cumstances. they cannot reopen seeking to ‘undermine’ system In a statement issued school since they lack GENERAL Secretary of on notice cause it cannot yesterday, the BSTU the funds and resources the Barbados Workers’ happen. Not ‘bout here. It asked the following to implement the proce- Union (BWU) Toni can happen if people do not questions: dures necessary to en- Moore believes there have contracts, but we can- 1. Will random, rapid sure the safety of chil- must be a collective not have these backdoor testing be done on stu- dren and education stance between govern- methods to undermine the dents in the system workers. ment and the trade system, and then it is these before their return to the 14. Do we have the union movement to pre- very employers that want classroom? necessary funds to vent employers seeking you to break an arm and a 2. Will it be done on a consistently and prop- to “undermine” work- leg to facilitate business regular basis for stu- erly implement the pro- ers in this country. and do everything they re- dents and others in tocols necessary with She made the comments quire, but just the simple schools, as now operates community spread, like while alleging that with carrying of the burden, in most first world soci- timely sanitisation after the proposed two dollar they expect government to eties where schools have use etc? raise to the current $6.25 do it all – deal with the reopened? 15. Do we have enough per hour minimum wage, people of the bottom and 3. How many children ancillary staff in schools an employer is seeking to help them too,” she out- have been tested positive and have they been re- change workers’ contracts lined. since the second wave of trained to deal with a sit- from 12-hour shifts to Speaking during yester- COVID-19 started in uation of community eight-hour shifts, because day Appropriations Bill de- December? spread and more viru- with a raise in hourly bate in the Lower House, 4. Is it near the almost lent variants this time wages such individuals Moore argued the proposed two hundred that was round? (in too many will make more than a wage of $8.50 was“in align- General Secretary of the BWU, Toni Moore. rumoured almost two schools these protocols supervisor. ment with what cost of liv- weeks ago? quickly dropped by the “So instead of adjusting ing was 12 years ago” and they do in fact is not to set crime and selling their 5. Has the positivity wayside on the last occa- the supervisor, they are as such was nothing to feel it at a level where people personal labour,” she con- rate in children begun to sion) looking to cut the hours in proud of, but should be can live on, but you know tinued. fall as yet? 16. Were the schools’ the workers’ contracts and viewed as an important what is the result? While sensitive to em- 6.