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BVIPA’s staff pay cuts were across the board under NDP — Pickering

Photo Credit: BVIPA

Following hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, pay cuts happened across the board for workers at the BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA) and not imposed only on lower-level staff.

Former Acting Deputy Managing Director of the BVIPA, Akeem Pickering drew that comparison while speaking on NDP radio last evening, May 4.

Pickering was at the time pointing out the stark contrast in the leadership of the Ports during the current health pandemic and after hurricanes devastated the BVI nearly four years ago.

“The management team after Irma and Maria said we’re going to have to cut salaries, but we’re not just cutting salaries of those below. We are also cutting salaries for everyone on top and so from the Managing Director, down to the Janitor, everybody got cut across the board. We didn’t just cut the salaries of those below and keep the salaries of those on top intact. Everyone got cut across the board,” ” Pickering explained.

Premier Andrew Fahie recently disclosed that nearly $480,000 was saved in staff pay cuts at the BVIPA but insisted he did not know in advance about the move.

He further said he asked the Authority to find savings from elsewhere once he was made aware of what had happened.

Give the people back their money

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Marlon Penn suggested staff should be given back monies for the pay cuts that were announced shortly after the onset of COVID-19 last year.

Penn said while there might be financial issues at the Ports, it is not for the government to put the burden on the backs of consumers, taxpayers or the low-level workers who could ill afford to shoulder that burden.

“Staff salaries were cut — the low-level staff, the daily paid workers. And we’re saying that ‘we made a saving’. But we made savings off of people who could less afford the monies that were lost –persons who were already struggling prior to the whole issue of COVID-19,” Penn expressed.

He insisted that the government must find a way to help those persons who lost income at the Ports through the pay cuts.

The BVIPA reportedly saved nearly half-a-million from cutting the work hours of its low-level workers.

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10 Comments

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  1. Karma says:

    Some people pay from what I understand was 200 every two weeks when tax etc and the cut. They need pay the staff back

    Like 10
    Dislike 2
  2. Pandora's Box says:

    The Opposition is pandering and making the message far less palatable while making very few good points.

    Yes, the cuts should have been across the board from top the bottom – savings are savings regardless. But to then go out and say we got to find a way to get those people that were cut their money back is a slap in the face to all others that have had their salaries cut, lost their job, or any other unfortunate situation brought on by this pandemic. Why select one group over the rest of us?

    Please, please, lease stop trying to suck up to the small minority (that still do actually have jobs) for your own political capital when the far bigger picture needs to be addressed.

    To me, through this entire pandemic, short of a few unproductive talk shows …….. the Opposition (as a whole) has been almost as disgraceful as the elected Governing party! Get your act together! This is about Country now, not bits and pieces that benefit your short term agenda for brownie points the majority of us do not care about!

    Like 8
    Dislike 9
    • Dear Pandora's Box says:

      Speak for yourself. You must be one of those VIP beneficiary of money you did not have to work hard for.

      Like 6
      Dislike 4
    • @Pandora's Box says:

      Does government have control over the payroll in the private sector? Government is the sole shareholder of the Port. How does the request for pay back becomes unfair to other?

      Like 4
      Dislike 2
  3. Listen says:

    We need to clean the government and statutory bodies from these lazy people who collecting pay and don’t like their job and only get it cause who they know, go start ayo own business and keep ayo bad attitude in there

  4. Rubber Duck says:

    What we need is an efficient modern port. Not the ramshackle 19th century fiasco we have.

    Get some experienced company in to run it. Governments can’t run anything.

    • Black says:

      This
      has been proposed, suggested, 4years now and without any government funding. It will be done with private funding but the government wants to run everything Into the ground.

  5. @ pandora's box says:

    Please go back in your box and cleanse your mind from all these cobwebs

    Like 1
    Dislike 2
    • BuzzBvi says:

      They need a new box. Dislike x 10 for people like those the box pandora opened so we can click on it. @pandora apotrophe box DISLIKE x 10. Done with this negativity.

  6. Air Traffic Controllers says:

    I heard the airport told their staff, they got cut across the board. Wondering if this was factual, I can’t imagine your operating an Airport with highly trained and essential workers salaries sliced for over 5 months. This supposed to be the well paid individuals who protect the safety and provide a service for people arriving into the country.

    Like 2
    Dislike 1

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