BARBADOS AND ITS struggling economy can ill-afford a national shutdown.
And with that advice, president of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Eddy Abed, is urging members of the Social Partnership to meet to avert a possible catastrophe.
Abed’s comments have come following ramped up efforts yesterday by the island’s four major trade unions; the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) and the Barbados Secondary Teachers Union (BSTU).
In a joint effort, the trade unions upped the ante, calling out public sector workers and commanding them to proceed on a ‘go slow’ until further notice in protest of Government’s decision to raise the National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL) from two per cent to ten per cent.
The unions are calling for Government to either repeal the NSRL or reduce it to five per cent.
With the unions warning of further action if Government declines to adhere to its request, Abed is pleading for the relevant parties to sit and discuss a possible solution.
“I am hopeful that we will get some meetings and we can chart the way forward for Barbados,” Abed told the DAILY NATION.
