Layoffs critical to recovery

THE FREUNDEL STUART Administration is not proud of the fact that it has had to layoff thousands of public servants, but views it as part of critical restructuring that must be carried out.
So explained Government Senator Jepter Ince as he led debate in the Senate this morning on a resolution that sought to allow borrowing under the Treasury Bills and Tax Certificates Act to be increased from $1.25 billion to $4 billion.
Stressing that there were already clear signs that economic recovery was around the corner, he told colleagues it was now incumbent on the Government to push ahead with “redirecting and diversifying” the economy.
He noted too that the Democratic Labour Party understood that job losses impacted negatively on families given their financial commitments, but at the end of the day restructuring must take place to protect the country from similar shocks in the future.
Tourism must be restructured, he added, fresh sources of international business must be sought in new markets and agriculture has to be given a makeover with new emphasis on sugar.
Throughout his presentation Ince criticized Barbadians, including himself, who failed to speak out years ago when the country was much better positioned to withstand the effects of restructuring, but the Government of the day neglected to take such action. (RRM)