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GCG workers back on the job at the Airport after brief stoppage

Ashminnie Moonsammy
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GCG workers back on the job at the Airport after brief stoppage

Workers at Goddard Catering Group (GCG) have resumed operations at Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) following discussions with the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) today. 

Dwaine Paul, Deputy General Secretary of the BWU, said the discussions followed a breakdown in earlier negotiations between staff and management amid reports that GCG staff were on strike.

He noted that the union met with workers on-site after receiving information from management, which enabled operations to resume.

“During the discussion, we would have also received some information from management which enabled us then to advance discussions with the workers towards resuming operations today,” Paul said.

He stressed, however, that the matter was not fully resolved. 

Paul said that a number of issues affecting staff across different airport divisions remained outstanding and warned that further industrial action could occur if timely resolutions were not reached.

“The main issue within GCG surrounded their terms and conditions, wages, and salaries. These matters have been under discussion for more than two years and we were promised in terms of advancement that we would have that before today and that did not materialise,” he said.

Paul also said that mechanisms for addressing worker concerns often took too long, leaving staff frustrated. 

The union is scheduled to meet with GCG next Tuesday to continue discussions based on correspondence received during today’s talks.

He urged management to resolve outstanding matters promptly to ensure cooperation from workers, especially as the airport enters its busy season. (AM)

Strike reported at Grantley Adams International Airport

Ashminnie Moonsammy
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Strike reported at Grantley Adams International Airport

There are reports reaching The Nation of a strike at the Grantley Adams International Airport.

Information suggests it is staff of Goddard Catering Group Inc., one of the Airport’s ground handlers.

Today is slated to be one of the busiest days at the Airport.

More details as they come.

Cricket – Henry fetches US$150 000 in first round of auction

Nationnews Desk
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Cricket – Henry fetches US$150 000 in first round of auction

West Indies Women’s explosive all-rounder Chinelle Henry was bought by the Delhi Capitals for US$150 000 during the first round of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) mega auction here on Thursday.

The 30-year-old Jamaican along with India’s Shree Charani, tied for the fifth most expensive players to be purchased in the first round at a price tag of 1.3 crore.

She was released by UP Warriorz ahead of the mega auction, An elated Henry could not contain her excitement after learning of the news.

“I have to be honest, I was really, really nervous and excited, but I guess I can breathe now.

“I just want to say that I’m really happy to be headed back to India and to be a part of the DC family. I’m literally lost for words,” Henry said in a subsequent video.

“…I have to say that I’m honestly a bit surprised but at the same time really happy. So again, it feels good to be going back to India for my second season in the WPL so see you guys soon.”

Henry joins Hayley Matthews – who will turn out for the Mumbai Indians – as the second West Indian to be picked for next year’s tournament, which starts on January 4.

Henry, who is currently in Australia playing for Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League, captained the Barbados Royals to their third consecutive Women’s Caribbean Premier League title back in September after filling in for the injured Matthews.

She made her debut in the Women’s IPL last season after being brought in as an injury replacement for Alyssa Healy.

In seven matches she scored 163 runs and picked up six wickets. Though she registered just one half-century in the 2025 season, she scored at a staggering strike rate of 196.39 through the competition. (CMC)

Vincentians voting for a new government

Nationnews Desk
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Vincentians voting for a new government

More than 103,000 voters are going to the 250 polling stations here on Thursday to elect a new government in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in an election that political observers say could signal the end of the political career of Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.

Gonsalves, 79, the longest serving head of government in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), is leading his ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) into the election, hoping for a sixth consecutive victory, but he faces an uphill task as the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) seeks to end their 25 years in the political wilderness under the 66-year-old attorney Dr. Godwin Friday.

Both the ULP and the NDP are fielding candidates in all 15 constituencies.

The National Liberation Movement (NLM) is being represented by its leader, Dr. Doris Charles, who is contesting the South Leeward seat, while another female candidate, Kenna Questelles, the lone independent in the race is contesting the West St George.

In the last general election, the ULP won nine of the 15 seats. (CMC)

‘Huge interest’ in St Vincent poll

Colville Mounsey
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‘Huge interest’ in St Vincent poll

With Vincentians set to vote today in what many observers believe could be the most competitive General Election in two decades, veteran journalist Kenton Chance and regional political scientist Peter Wickham say the political temperature across St Vincent and the Grenadines is unlike anything seen in recent cycles – marked by intense voter interest, economic pressures and lingering questions about leadership direction.

Chance, who will be covering his fifth General Election, said the atmosphere on the ground suggests an electorate deeply invested in the outcome.

“The kind of energy that I’m feeling now is unlike anything I’ve seen before,” he noted, pointing to crowded rallies, charged public debates, and unusually sharp scrutiny of candidates’ messages. “People are really taking this election seriously.”

While maintaining neutrality, Chance hinted that the tone coming from the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) may itself indicate a tightening race. He referenced a clip from Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves’ final rally speech – a video he shared online – in which Gonsalves openly appealed to former ULP supporters to “come home.”

“I would encourage your readers to take a look at that clip and see what conclusions they come to,” Chance added, suggesting that such appeals could be significant as Vincentians interpret the political mood heading into polling day.

Chance said the cost of living stands out as the defining issue of the 2025 election campaign.

“Cost of living, without a doubt,” he stressed. “People are feeling the strain and finding it a lot harder to make ends meet.” He noted that while the government has attempted to explain its policies, the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) has “really honed in” on the frustrations facing households.

The aftermath of vaccine mandates, social policy continuity, and the future of assistance programmes have also surfaced as key concerns among voters.

Chance identified North Leeward – won by a single vote in 2020 – and North Windward as pivotal battleground seats that could swing the overall outcome.

“Most people expect the opposition to win North Leeward,” he said, though he cautioned that both areas remain tight.

“The thinking is that once North Windward goes, that could signal the end of the ULP administration.”

Growing interest

He also pointed to growing interest in South Windward and South Central Windward, where two senior government figures – seen by many as potential heirs to Gonsalves – are defending their seats. Their vulnerability,

he warned, could deepen the ULP’s challenges.

The narrative of alleged foreign involvement – fuelled in part by the ULP itself – is having mixed effects, Chance said.

Ordinary Vincentians have become unusually suspicious of visiting journalists and non-locals at campaign events, he observed.

“In the context of this narrative… I think it can work against the ruling party,” he said. “Ordinarily you wouldn’t pay attention to another Caribbean accent, but now people are wondering why another Caribbean brother or sister is here.”

He noted, however, that the Barbadian strategists reported to be advising the ULP have not been visible on platforms, suggesting their role is “more number-crunching” than public campaigning.

Political scientist Peter Wickham, who declined to comment extensively on St Vincent and the Grenadines’ internal politics, nevertheless raised a key concern surrounding NDP leader Dr Godwin Friday.

Wickham said he is troubled by Friday’s reluctance to clearly articulate his foreign policy stance, especially regarding US involvement in Caribbean affairs.

“There is a concern in many quarters that he is pro-Trump, and I do feel that if this is his view, it would be useful for him to state this,” Wickham said. “Voters… would need to have a clear idea of how he stands on these issues.”

He added that while Vincentians know where Gonsalves stands on regional matters, Friday has not yet fully clarified his own posture.

At the same time, Wickham acknowledged that the numbers from 2020 already indicated a tight political environment.

“If you look at the data from the previous election, it is the closest election in St Vincent,” he said. “The gaps in support from the 2020 election are the smallest Gonsalves has faced in his entire time in office. That is an empirical fact.” (CLM)

Spacey set to face civil sex assault claims in court in 2026

Nationnews Desk
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Spacey set to face civil sex assault claims in court in 2026

Actor Kevin Spacey is set to face civil claims of sexual assault from three men at the High Court in London next October.

The men have sued the star, alleging that he assaulted them between 2000 and 2013.

At a hearing on Wednesday, a judge suggested a provisional trial date of 12 October 2026. The claims could be heard in a single trial, or in three consecutive trials to hear each case.

Mr Spacey denies all allegations of wrongdoing. He has formally denied two of the claims and is yet to file a defence with the court in the third. He was separately cleared of nine sexual offence charges at a criminal trial in 2023.

Two of the men who accused the Oscar-winning star during the criminal trial have also filed civil legal cases at the High Court.

One man, known only as LNP, alleges that Mr Spacey “deliberately assaulted” him on about 12 occasions between 2000 and 2005.

Another, referred to as GHI, says he met Mr Spacey through a workshop at London’s Old Vic theatre and claims he “suffered psychiatric damage and financial loss” as a result of an assault in 2008.

Mr Spacey was artistic director of the Old Vic between 2004 and 2013.

The man originally sued Mr Spacey in 2022 but his case was paused when the criminal charges were brought.

The third man, Ruari Cannon, has waived his right to anonymity.

He was in Tennessee Williams’ play Sweet Bird of Youth at the Old Vic in 2013, and alleges that Mr Spacey groped him at a party after the show’s press night.

Mr Cannon took part in a Channel 4 documentary, Spacey Unmasked, in 2024.

Mr Spacey said the allegation was “ridiculous and it never happened”.

Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC, representing the trio, said in written submissions that the cases should be heard in a single trial to avoid the men and Mr Spacey giving evidence more than once.

The US actor has previously admitted “bad behaviour” and “being too handsy” at times, but said he would not use the word “grope” to describe his actions.

At his criminal trial in London in 2023, he was acquitted of seven counts of sexual assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. (BBC News)

Venezuela bans six major airlines after tensions with US escalate

Nationnews Desk
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Venezuela bans six major airlines after tensions with US escalate

Venezuela has banned six major international airlines from landing in the country after they failed to meet a 48-hour deadline to resume flights there.

The airlines had temporarily suspended their routes into the capital, Caracas, after the US warned of “heightened military activity” in the area.

Angered by this, the Venezuelan government issued the carriers with an ultimatum that expired on Wednesday. While a number of smaller airlines continue to fly to Venezuela, thousands of passengers have been affected.

The US has deployed a large force to waters off Venezuela, which it says is to combat drug trafficking but which Venezuela’s leader has denounced as an attempt to overthrow him.

Venezuela’s civil aviation authority, which reports to the country’s ministry of transport, announced on Wednesday that Iberia, TAP Portugal, Gol, Latam, Avianca and Turkish Airlines would lose their landing and take-off rights with immediate effect.

In a reference to the heightened US military activity off the coast of Venezuela, it also accused the airlines of “joining the actions of state terrorism promoted by the United States government and unilaterally suspending air commercial operations”.

The US has deployed 15,000 troops and the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, to within striking distance of Venezuela.

The US says the aim of the deployment, the largest by the US in the region since it invaded Panama in 1989, is to combat drug trafficking.

US forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on boats they say were carrying drugs, killing more than 80 people.

However, they have not provided evidence that the boats carried drugs and many analysts have pointed out that the US deployment is unusually large for a counter-narcotics operation.

The Venezuelan government thinks the aim of the operation is to depose President Nicolás Maduro, whose re-election last year was denounced by the Venezuelan opposition and many foreign nations as rigged.

Amid the rising tensions, the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) issued a warning on Friday to flight operators operating in Maiquetía, the international airport serving Caracas.

It urged airlines “to exercise caution… at all altitudes due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity in and around Venezuela”.

It was in the wake of that warning that the now-banned airlines suspended their flights to Venezuela.

An attempt by aviation industry body Iata to defuse the situation – by stressing that its member airlines were keen to restore operations – failed to appease the Venezuelan government.

In recent days, both Maduro and his US counterpart Donald Trump have signalled a willingness to hold direct talks.

Asked about it on Air Force One, Trump said that he “might talk” to Maduro, but also warned that “we can do things the easy way, that’s fine, and if we have to do it the hard way that’s fine, too”.

Maduro, meanwhile, uploaded a video of himself driving around Caracas pointing to Christmas decorations, in what appeared to be an attempt to show that life in the city was going on as normal. (BBC News)

Economists warn Govt of divestment impact on public

Shawn Cumberbatch
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Economists warn Govt of divestment impact on public

Government is being warned that it could end up on the wrong road with divestment of the “technically insolvent” Transport Board, if the needs of commuters take a back seat as private operators chase profits.

Words of caution are coming from economists Jeremy Stephen and Professor Justin Robinson, who stressed the importance of route allocation, especially for residents in under-served areas that may be deemed unprofitable.

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Works Santia Bradshaw confirmed Government’s plan to divest the Transport Board and said there would be stakeholder meetings to discuss the proposals, including severing of all workers at the state-owned enterprise and creating a Mass Transit Authority to oversee the bus service.

While both acknowledged the Transport Board’s long-standing financial challenges and its heavy reliance on the public purse, Stephen and Robinson said the quest for public transport financial viability should prioritise the most important players – the travelling public.

Robinson, pro vice chancellor and principal at UWI Five Islands Campus, said Government’s position on the Transport Board was neither frivolous nor ideological and rested on fiscal arithmetic that cannot be ignored.

This included the transfer of about $206 million in subsidies between April 2013 and March 2018, funds which exceeded one-third of its annual expenditure, and more recent allocations beyond what was initially budgeted.

In a written analysis yesterday, he urged the authorities to learn the lessons from public transport reform in other countries, saying that “the fundamental question the Government’s proposal does not adequately address is who will serve the routes that do not pay”.

“The evidence from Britain, Chile, Jamaica, and Trinidad is clear. Markets optimise for profit, governments must optimise for coverage. When those objectives are confused, the result is buses where and when there is profit, and silence where there is none,” the financial expert stated.

Robinson, noting that “Transport For London demonstrates that private operation and public service can coexist through deliberate design”, is recommending a revised approach for Barbados.

He suggested:

• gross-cost contracting rather than owner-operator divestment, with operators paid per kilometre, with revenue risk held by the Mass Transit Authority;

• bundled route packages requiring any operator serving profitable corridors to also cover marginal areas;

• centralised electric bus maintenance under the Authority, concentrating technical expertise rather than fragmenting it among dozens of small operators;

• performance bonds and minimum service standards with meaningful penalties;

• explicit subsidy for concessionary fares so pensioners and students are not served at operators’ loss; and

• phased implementation with pilot corridors. “The Transport Board was established on August 42, 1955. For 70 years, it has connected this island, imperfectly, often inefficiently, but universally. The child travelling to school, the hotel worker commuting to the South Coast, the pensioner visiting family, all served by the same system, paying the same fare, regardless of whether their journey turned a profit,” Robinson said.

“That compact can be honoured through private operation, as shown in London. But it requires regulatory architecture that treats coverage as a public obligation, not a market outcome. The current proposal offers buses to workers on favourable terms without specifying who will serve the routes those workers may rationally choose to abandon,” Robinson noted.

Stephen wrote in the DAILY NATION on Monday: “One would not be wrong to think the debt situation at the Transport Board has begun to spiral and that

Government now faces political limits on what it can do.

“To me . . . the true test lies in route allocation. Displaced drivers who take up the offer should be granted first rights to refusal on routes. But without an equitable route allocation, this investment becomes far less appealing to the wider public.

“After all, these electric vehicles cost more than conventional options. I suspect that even the former drivers may have to yield to the aggressive driving culture already embedded in the public service vehicle sector in pursuit of profit,” the former lecturer at the University of the West Indies said.

The Transport Board’s financial challenges have been documented in various fiscal reports published by Government in recent times.

The Barbados Fiscal Framework 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 said that in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, Government initially forecast it would provide $12.2 million to the Transport Board but actually transferred $26.3 million. It is again budgeting $12.2 million for the Transport Board in the current 2025-2026 fiscal year.

The document prepared by the Ministry of Finance said the Transport Board was one of the SOEs posing a fiscal risk to Government. Without giving figures, it said the Transport Board’s liabilities exceeded its total assets, making it “technically insolvent”.

The previous fiscal framework for 2024-2025 to 2026-2027 said the Transport Board had unfunded liabilities of $84.1 million. (SC)

Man left with thousands of dollars in repairs warns other motorists

Antoinette Connell
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Man left with thousands of dollars in repairs warns other motorists

A man, left with thousands of dollars in repairs after a hit and run, is warning motorists to be on the lookout for those who flee collisions.

John Herbert, a road safety advocate, said that hit and runs appear to be increasing since police instituted the policy of not responding to road incidents in which persons are not injured.

Driver John Austin said he was on the road just outside the Eunice Gibson Polyclinic in Warrens, St Michael, two weeks ago in traffic that had slowed, when suddenly a vehicle rammed into the back of his car.

He got out the car and approached the driver, who also got out asking “Daddy, what you do to me?” 

He responded by putting the same question to the young man.

“When I was talking about the insurance, he just went like that and move off,” said Austin, showing how the man got back into his vehicle and fled the scene. 

Austin added that fortunately for him, the insurance company told him there was a clause in the Insurance Act indicating that because of the circumstances, his premium would not increase. He believed that the offender did not have any insurance.  

“This has to stop. It’s a real shame. I think this will cost about $15 000,” he said of the damage to his wife’s car.

Austin said that since the driver fled, the police are now involved in the matter but they had said because he did not have the registration number, there was little they could do.

President of the BRSA John Herbert, who also works with Consumer Guaranteed Insurance, said based on a recent conversation with the company’s claims department, since the police policy of not responding in situations where persons are not injured, they were seeing a lot of hit and runs.

“We have quite a number of vehicles, so we would see quite a number of accidents as well. All I can say at this point is that it appears as though that is a problem.

“Interestingly enough, hit and run is something that is not discussed publicly for whatever reason. I think that the way to solve that problem is that people, who can afford it need to start looking at obtaining dash cams because dash cams carry cameras to the front and back of the vehicle,” he said.

“In those cases, they will be able to capture the footage of anybody who hits you, even from the back, and then attempt to flee. Other than that, I don’t know what else can be done because you really can’t stop somebody from fleeing the scene of an accident if they want to flee.”

The dash cam capturing the registration number and details of the vehicles would be a start unless the plates were fictitious, Herbert pointed out.  

He added that such hit-and-run complaints usually involved a vehicle rather than a motorcycle or bicycle.

Herbert also made reference to representatives from the General Insurance Association of Barbados and the Barbados Licensing Authority saying that there were thousands of unregistered vehicles on the road, and suggested that may be why drivers were fleeing the scene.

“So, everybody knows that is a big problem. But, I am not sure what they are doing about it. I know the Government was moving to put in place the vehicle electronic tag system but I am not sure where we are with that right now. That was supposed to help to capture those people who are not registered or getting insurance. That has been long in coming now,” he said. 

Executive gives Nicholls the nod

Sherrylyn Clarke
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Executive gives Nicholls the nod

The executive of the St Thomas branch of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has thrown its support behind Senator Gregory Nicholls.

A letter dated November 24, 2025 was sent to the 51-year-old attorney, a copy of which was seen by the MIDWEEK NATION.

“We commend you for the level of canvassing and the commitment to community outreach demonstrated in the name of the Barbados Labour Party. Your efforts reflect the spirit and values that strengthen our great party,” the letter, signed by branch secretary Evelina King-Harper, said.

“After much deliberation and a subsequent vote, the branch executive has agreed to endorse your candidacy and will make the formal recommendation to the constituency branch.”

Nicholls confirmed being in receipt of the letter and said the branch met with all three candidates – the others being attorneys Anderson Yearwood and Dr William Chandler – last Sunday.

“I made my presentation to the branch executive and the letter that you have, I can confirm I received that letter informing me that the executive has assessed three candidates and I have got the endorsement of the branch,” he told the MIDWEEK NATION last night via telephone. 

Nicholls long made his intentions known to contest the St Thomas branch on the retirement of incumbent Cynthia Forde. She has represented the riding since the 2001 by-election when then Attorney General Sir David Simmons resigned.

He previously waged an unsuccessful campaign for the BLP in St Michael North-West in 2013 against former Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler of the Democratic Labour Party.

“I went to North West at the request of the political leader at the time [former Prime Minister] Professor Owen Seymour Arthur to give the party an opportunity to mount a platform in that constituency,” Nicholls said.

“I did that on behalf of the party. I’m doing so now again and I am happy to be at home, happy to come home, happy to represent the people from the community that has nurtured me.”

Nicholls hails from Arthur’s Seat and has been on the ground, holding a series of planning meetings. Last night, he was preparing for another at Melrose. Previous meetings were held at Welchman Hall and Melrose and another is scheduled for Dunscombe next week.

The senator said the campaign has been gaining momentum.

“The team has grown tremendously from the 20 that we had at the first meeting to over 70 at the last one and I suspect we will cross the 100 threshold tonight [last night] in terms of delegates and supporters. Not every member of every constituency in St Thomas is a member of the branch, but still we know that after the nomination there is a General Election, so we are not turning back members, we are not turning back supporters,” Nicholls said.

“I will continue to reach out to each and every member of the branch in a personal visit, coming and speaking with them and their families and touching base with every single soul on that list as humanly possible.” 

Last Sunday, the St Joseph branch of the BLP nominated businessman Ryan Brathwaite, as Attorney General Dale Marshall will not be facing the electorate again.

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