SOMEONE MAY WONDER why this Pentecostal minister is getting involved in Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) and National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) business. It is not a privilege to get involved; it’s a right!
I pray every day, read the Bible every day, and I read both the Advocate and the Nation newspapers from front to back. I am a Barbadian, born and bred in this country. I believe that it’s about time that I shared my opinions in the hope that somebody would listen and take my advice. It might be timely!
I am not attempting to pronounce on the rightness or wrongness of the financial difficulty that the NUPW seem to be having with GAIA. GAIA seem to think that they don’t have a financial problem with NUPW, since as far as they are concerned, there is no financial matter to be settled. I believe that the matter should be settled amicably, though there should be much prayer instead of striking for money, because it is very possible that one can win a battle but lose the war. One could get money, but have no job. I think so, but I may be wrong.
If the tourists cancel in numbers because of the Zika virus, there would be no need for so many NUPW workers, maintenance workers, security officers, taxi drivers, hotel staff and others. Somebody will have to suffer, probably indefinitely, I don’t even know. So, it’s better to pray than to strike, because somebody’s own good may be at stake.
It’s all well and good to stick vehemently to what one considers as one’s bounden duty, but in the final analysis, Mr McDowall, I believe you would like to have the best of both worlds. But what if matters don’t eventuate as you would have thought they would? – then the same workers may place some blame on you. I wish you would tread cautiously. I believe that the workers and Barbados stand to lose in the long run. I don’t even know: I may be wrong.
NUPW, I think you should deal with this matter dispassionately, maybe for the good of all concerned, the Barbados Government included. I will continue to pray. Just thinking!
– Bishop Vibert Dac. Lowe