08152019 BUSINESS

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business@tribunemedia.net

THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2019

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Minimum wage rise talk ‘unequivocally not true’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

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NATIONAL Tripartite Council member yesterday described the minister of labour’s assertion that it is debating a minimum wage increase as “unequivocally not true”. Peter Goudie, one of the private sector’s representatives on the Council, told Tribune Business “there’s absolutely no discussion” of a rise because “the last thing we want to do right

• Council member rejects minister’s assertion • Says ‘last thing we want to do right now’ • Council’s productivity focus is real ‘win-win’ now is increase the cost of business.” Instead, he revealed that the Council’s “number one priority” is the creation of a National Productivity Council and accompanying legislation designed to boost worker and corporate output throughout The Bahamas, with recommendations likely to be ready for presenting to the Government this October.

Mr Goudie’s assertion contradicts comments made by Dion Foulkes, minister of labour, who told assembled reporters outside Tuesday’s weekly Cabinet meeting that the National Tripartite Council was discussing a minimum wage increase. Raising worker expectations, especially among those earning at or close to the $210 weekly minimum,

Mr Foulkes said: “There is a discussion at the Tripartite Council level but there haven’t been any definitive recommendations from the council at this point.” However, Mr Goudie, who said he was personally “not big on the minimum wage” as a concept, dashed any optimism by totally refuting the minister’s statement. “There’s absolutely no discussion

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Customs portal allows boating fee payments PETER GOUDIE at the National Tripartite Council on the minimum wage,” the well-known human resources consultant told this newspaper. “The reason there hasn’t been is because inflation is very low and there’s very strong concern about the ease of doing business. The last thing we want to do right now is increase the cost of business.” He continued: “I can tell you unequivocally there’s been no discussion at the National Tripartite Council. I don’t know who’s saying that. If Dion Foulkes

MORE Bahamians are jobless now than when the Minnis administration took office just over two years ago despite the national unemployment rate’s reduction to 9.5 percent. A closer examination of the May 2019 Labour Force Survey data reveals that some 22,635 Bahamians were looking for work this summer but unable to find

• Some 775 more unemployed compared to May ‘17 • Though rate dropped due to workforce growth • Unions ‘targeting’ $450 ‘liveable’ weekly earnings

BERNARD EVANS

Bran: BPL ‘puts us back in third world’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE DNA’s ex-leader yesterday said Bahamas Power & Light’s (BPL) inability to provide reliable power had “put us back into third world status”, and blasted: “It’s a disaster for the economy.” Branville McCartney, pictured, speaking to Tribune Business from Florida, where he said the monthly energy bill for a four-storey home was just $200, said BPL’s failure to perform its most basic functions had

also undermined Bahamians’ “way of life”. “Terrible, it’s a disaster,” he charged of BPL’s current woes. “It’s a disaster for our economy. It’s a disaster for our way of living, and

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Chamber chief: ‘No downside’ to Customs system By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive says “there’s really no downside” to Customs’ new digital system, but called for “patience” as all parties go through their “learning curve”. Jeffrey Beckles, urging the private sector to stay the course over the Electronic Single Window’s (ESW) roll-out, told Tribune Business that it will ultimately produce “gains and benefits” for both businesses and government by making cross-border commerce

more efficient while cracking down on revenue leakages. Speaking prior to yesterday’s launch of the ESW’s education and registration drive, Mr Beckles said the Chamber of Commerce was committed to working with Customs and all sides to iron out “any kinks” given that the initiative is a key element in the Minnis administration’s e-government transformation. “It’s a new process which means a learning curve on both sides of the fence,” he added. “We know it’s a system that works globally,

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it - a figure that was some 755 persons higher than the 21,880 classified as unemployed at the time of the May 2017 survey. While the national unemployment rate has declined due to the total labour force’s continued expansion, the size of the jobless

workforce backs assertions by several Cabinet ministers that the government has much more work to do in creating a business climate to facilitate faster job creation. Bernard Evans, the National Congress of Trade Unions (NCTU) president,

By NATARIO MCKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

told Tribune Business that this newspaper’s findings showed that “the devil is in the detail” when it comes to analysing data such as the unemployment figures. While praising the government for a jobless rate that is “trending in the right direction” and “heading downwards”, Mr Evans argued that the “quality of work” enjoyed by Bahamians - and especially their ability to secure a “liveable

THE Customs Department’s new digital system will allow pleasure craft to apply for cruising and fishing permits, the deputy prime minister said yesterday.​ Announcing the launch of the registration campaign for Customs’ Electronic Single Window (ESW) or Click 2 Clear portal, K Peter Turnquest said it will permit boaters and their vessels to clear Customs and apply for mandatory cruising and fishing permits.​ “We are digitising the entire process to create more security, speed and convenience,” said Mr Turnquest. “We are collaborating with the Association of Bahamas Marinas, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources to launch this highly-anticipated feature as the industry is keenly awaiting its roll-out.” Basil Smith, the Association of The Bahamas Marinas (ABM) executive director, previously told Tribune Business that a single electronic portal for the payment of fees such as cruising permits and the yacht charter fee would be a huge step forward for the industry.

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More Bahamians jobless than when govt elected By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

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