Nassau, Bahamas — Hidden from the pages of the press is another shocking story you will only read here on Bahamas Press. Those in the media who continue to suck the ‘political tits’ of those in elected office will continue to find disfavour with the people; the people who we at BP seek to protect.
Shocking revelations have are now being birth on this wire and to us it comes as no surprise.
Bahamas Press has learned staff at the Antiquities Monuments and Museum Corporation [AMMC] is now facing huge cuts in their salaries and are finding it hard to adjust. We are told the Corporation now has a new chairman, Orry Sands.
We are told the new Chair has come on an axing mission by the government and despite approved agreements in the terms of employment for staff at the Corporation, the new Chair is said to be “dishonouring everything she met in place” in a wicked attempt to weed out and hurt the working class.
BP has learned the toll is pressuring small workers who are at the bottom of the totem poll. We’ve learned staff in the entry level department at the Corporation are the ones suffering the most from the axing exercise; and we are told their cries of the cuts have fallen on deaf ears.
“BP, the new Chair has yet to explain why the Corporation is cutting our stipend. We are being asked to do tasks at AMMC, which do not fall in our job descriptions. Since the government is cutting us, does that then suggest we are to cut them? No one had explained to us what the situation is and no one is justifying to us why our salaries are being slashed,” an irate worker told BP.
Bahamas Press can confirm written letters were issued to staff members at the end of July, informing them of the cuts in salary; however, no reasons for the cuts were given. You would remember the Corporation was established and supported by government grants. We are told however wastage and abuses at the Corporation, which sits under the portfolio of Charles Maynard, have crippled finances added with the onslaught of the global financial crisis, have plunged the Corporation’s funds into the danger zone and now line-staff are feeling the pain.
An example of such rank abuses could be confirmed following the order of a video production for Clifton Heritage Site. BP has learned the contract to produce the Clifton video was awarded to a known FNM goon. We’ve learned following the early stages of planning the video, the producer was paid some $60,000 and ordered to commence the production, however, some two years later [to this present day] no video of the site has been completed and all work on it ceased.
BP believes the small worker should not be made swallow the hard pill because of poor management. We also believe here again is an issue for BPSU President John Pinder, who is so busy in bed with the government these days, he cannot hear the voice of the working poor.
BP has learned Orry Sands has planned to come face to face with line staff this Monday as she attempts to explain the Government’s decision to cut salaries at the Corporation.
Russell Johnson, since January of 2009 when the world was beginning to experience the effects of the global financial meltdown, we here in the Bahamas, were no different.
as a matter of fact, we were told on any umber of occasions that unless or until things turn around, particularly for our northern neighbor, situations may remain as they were at the time or get worse.
we were encouraged to tighten our belts…… I agree with you, that there are persons who, while fortunate to be employed, don’t seem to appreciate whats happening in the village.
the recent national budget should’ve been a clear indicator of the dire economic situation we find ourselves in.
I don’t think anyone need to take to the air to spell nothing out for us, “ye’ who have an ear, let him hear”. likewise, they that have eyes, let them see………… no national address will send no more a message than we would have already felt in our pockets.
we need to stop expecting to be spoon fed, things are shabby, things mash up, things bad……
I think my spike in the back yard knows that!!!
No matter what the minister had to say in the past about the recession the reality is that we are in the mids of a global financial meltdown and the Bahamas is not immune to any of it. I personally feel that we have done well as a country when one considers the magnitude of this crisis. I feel that we have past the recession mark and we might possibly be heading for a depression – we are not out of the woods yet. We have had it too good for too long in this country so when the time comes for us to make ajustments we find this hard to do – adjustments will be a necessity if we are to have a fighting chance of surviving this crisis. The minister in my opinion do not have to make any announcement regarding this crisis all we have to do is look, listen and learn – the evidence is all around us.
Ms. Jacinta Higgs has nothing to do with Antiquities Corporation. The Cliftion Heritage and Antiquities are two separate entity. Dr. Keith Tinker is the Director of the Antiquities Corporation and Mrs. Orry J. Sands is the chairperson. The paycuts came as a result of the swandering of the corporation funds by Dr. Tinker. The Minister,Board Members and Senior Staff were quite aware of all that Tinker was doing and failed to do anything. Now the are firing him with full pension and pay and the staff has to pay for the crap that was done by him. Think about it this coporation does not offer its staff any benefits like penson or medical benfits and then they just decide to cut staff pay and only a certain few staff some up to $300.00. Please when you’ll comment leave the politics out of it and deal with the facts at hand. Place yourself in the situation of your salary being cut but are still required to carry out the same work load. We all know that is not fair. He who feel it knows it, it’s the principal behind the matter.
Thanks George, thanks for the truth, some has to get the story correct.
What in the world is she wearing? Lol.
Hubert Ingraham said in the House of Assembly, “WE HAVE FIRED NO ONE.” and repeated over and over that his government of ‘Steady Hands” was meeting all of the government obligations.
What amazes me also is the fact when his Jr. Minister denied in 2007 that there was a pending recession. Here’s what he told the press on the steps of the Church Hill Building. He said, “RECESSION? It must be a figment in the imagination of them people’s [PLP] head.” That is what Zhivargo ‘Mona Vie’ Laing told the press.
So don’t sell us that Global Recession line. They have managed the economy poorly and in the eyes of every child of this country they have left a national debt to over $4BILLION to each child. $1 BILLION more in three short years.
WE NEED CHANGE!
I agree 100%. Just please be honest with the state of the country.
Agreed. But BP makes these cut backs seem like they are some shocking and unique issue to the Bahamas, when the global recession was unavoidable and hurting us very hard, due to our dependence on tourism and foreign investments. It’s time for the government to step up and clarify our new reality and set some expectations, like the fact that it’s going to be very difficult for the next 5+ years. How about the government levels with the people and then continues to make the cutbacks for the less critical government jobs, as they must.
We are in dire straits and the Minister of Finance is obligated to let the Bahamian people know the true situation regarding our finances.He might be a protegy of Sir Lyden but he still lacks the confidence of being straight forward with the Bahamian people.I would advise the Minister of Finance to give a national address free of political name calling and lay out the difficulties we face as a nation in the coming months.So far there have been denials of the state of our economy but many who understand what denials mean have already buckled down.Unfortunately the average Joe blow has still not gotten the message as it is conflicting and based on who gives it.The Minister of Finance now needs to report to the Bahamian people by television and should be flanked by all stakeholders so that the message can get out minus political rhetoric.
Did you not listen to the Budget Communication? Did you not hear the Minister say that we are now going through tough times and that both the government and the people need to be very thrifty and prudent in their financial dealings? Brother Johnson, I don’t fault you for being PLP, but for goodness sake, you need to take your head out of the proverbial sand see things for what they are. THE ECONOMY IS STRESSED and the government has forwarded a plan to navigate us out of it. Now we can debate about whether or not the government is taking the right steps, but don’t pretend that the government didn’t tell us that TINGS BAD.
“I would advise the Minister of Finance to give a national address free of political name calling and lay out the difficulties we face as a nation” Please my friend read what I have said rather than touting yourself as the chief dfender of PAPA.The HOP is really not the place where a national address is given so advise your handler to give a national address.Joe blow unfortunately does not watch or listen to speeches in HOA as they are filled with political rhetoric.
So an address by a polititian made outside the HOA would be free of political rhetoric? How naive.
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