THE DUST SHOULD HAVE SETTLED by now following the recent industrial action involving the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) and the Barbados Water Authority (BWA), but the fallout may be long-lasting.
Thankfully, the country was spared a national shutdown as it can ill-afford any such economic and social dislocation.
The workers at the BWA have got some of what the union argued was justifiably due to them. But things remain rather misty for a majority of Barbadians since neither side has spelt out the details of the agreement reached under the chairmanship of the Minister of Labour Dr Esther Byer Suckoo.
The unofficial word is that $17 million is to be paid to the workers. This is a huge sum that is going to come indirectly from the taxpayers, so there is justification for both sides to release the full details to the public.
While the BWU and the BWA ponder the issue of full disclosure, there are many questions flowing from the impasse that must not be swept away. Good governance requires that they be highlighted, discussed and decisions taken to ensure the best way forward.
The biggest concern is where the money will come from to pay the workers. The BWA is cash-strapped and cannot go to a financial institution in Bridgetown and raise millions of dollars overnight.
Government will most certainly have to back any such loan, which will cause thinking people to wonder what would have informed any Cabinet decision on this kind of multimillion-dollar settlement and if it is planning to go to Parliament after the current recess for a supplementary vote.
Of course, Government could in the forthcoming Budget raise water rates to cover any such loan, even though the BWA’s customer and community relations may be at an all-time low.
The public will hardly expect Government to direct the National Insurance Scheme to lend the BWA the money since the question will arise as to how it will be repaid by a struggling state agency whose solvency may be in question.
The BWA indeed will need to tell the public about its outstanding debts, if any, ranging from social security payments and pension funding to the payment of suppliers. It must also address, for the benefit of transparency, all the various third party arrangements it may have in place.
