No job losses with BVI’s air and seaports merger — Premier
Premier Andrew Fahie has contended that there will be no job losses once the territory merges its air and seaport authorities.
The merger will be done through the The Virgin Islands Air and Seaports Act, 2021, which passed in the House of Assembly (HOA) late last night.
The Act will combine the BVI Airports Authority (BVIAA) and the BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA) into one single entity — the BVI Air and Seaports Authority.
“There will be a need for a transition team to merge the two entities and in the process, no jobs will be lost,” the Premier assured repeatedly in the House.
Fahie said the move is expected to bring some level of synergy to the work being done by the two statutory bodies. He further stated that this added synergy would offer better efficiency and effectiveness to the residents of the territory.
With a single board there will now be a foundation for a shared vision for all the territory’s ports of entry, the Premier said.
He also argued that there is a need for common standards, as well as a properly branded and shared approach to tourism and visitor experience for all arrivals to the BVI.
“It should not be that if you arrive at the airport, it is one experience and if you come through the seaport, it is like a different destination,” Premier Fahie said.
He added: “There should be consistency, and this consistency would come when you have a common vision, a common management structure, a common management theme and a deliberate synergy in how things are done.”
With the merger, there will also be greater synergy in the decision-making process on entry for both entities with regard to the Customs, Immigration and police departments, the Premier said.
The Premier further noted that there is still a long way to go for implementation since there is some legislation that needs to be rescinded before the merger comes into force.
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Andrew, don’t forget to get your entire family on board with your plans..should be some good salaries
of rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic..
B**** will get the chairman job. Remember, he took the hit for Andrew in 2004
Yes, let’s have a co***cted f***dster in charge.
Your remarks sound so silly. This is an excellent move by the government. It should have been done long ago.
tell the COI that it is ‘silly’ to appointment family & friends. They most likely consider it criminal..
What’s the point of combing the two if you’re not going to reduce the number of people needed to run things?
If it’s more “efficient” and “effective” why do we need the same number of staff? Surely the benefit would be to lower duplication, meaning less staff required and savings for the people. If not, why break what’s broken even further?
The airport and ferry docks are still separate facilities so less staff would not in fact help with that effectiveness and efficiency. As he said, consistency and synergy.
Answer the other questions too nah
Almost as short-sighted as the BVI Government. These facilities extend beyond operations. The benefit of streamlining is in the cost of administration, which could be combined.
Well WTF didn’t specify they just gave a blanket solution of “reducing staff”… I mean yeah, cutting down on upper level and management staff could make sense but again just in thinking of the structures, The airport is the airport and the ferry dock is the ferry dock…
It’s the top jobs is where you have duplication, head of HR, IT, Finance etc. We’ll see what happens.
What about the promised 1000 jobs in 1000 days?
I guess he thinks that we have forgotten. Yeah…what about those 1000 jobs in 1000 days?
I haven’t heard peep about them since he promised them? It appears it was a promise made but not met.
his famous quote “promises made promises kept”
Well clearly COVID-19 had a massive impact on that. Whilst I’m no fan of the current administration, they can’t really be held to that promise in these unusual times. We could get back to a more normal life if everyone just accepted that vaccination is the only way forward, even if we don’t particularly want to take it.
I do agree on the vaccination front. It’s the only way forward.
However, if memory serves me correct, that promise of 1000 jobs in 1000 days occurred long before the pandemic began not during or after. It occurred within his first year of tenure.
Correct me if I am wrong. Unless my memory is shot, and my dates does not add up, his promise was not kept.
I always thought it was an ambitious and worthy goal to have achieved, but it does not appear to have materialized. I’m not knocking him for trying however. People finding work to take care of themselves and families is always a good thing.
You do know there are only 365 days in a year don’t you?
If my memory serves me right Yes there are 365 days in a year. Times goes by so fast nowadays, it could be 265 days.
Correct me if Im wrong. I have been skipping my memory tablets lately because life has been so hard trying to put food on the table. I did not get any of those 1000 jobs. The struggle is real. 🙂
I will knock him, lies, lies, broken promises, and more lies.
If more than one Thousand Fake Business people, fake fishers and Farmers Get more that $3000.00 for their fakeness that can easily equate to more than a thousand Jobs in one hundred days…Promised made, by the hook or by the crook, a promised kept…
Sorry but being fully vaccinated (experimental drug) is not the way forward as a solution for the plandemic!! CDC is even now reporting that fully vaccinated people can still contract and spread the virus. Look at what is going on in Israel.
Like saying that if everyone wears seatbelts, because people end up in hospital from road accidents, then don’t wear seatbelts. Idiocy on steroids. Also BS.
@ Idiocy on steroids – you sound so damn retarded with the seatbelt debate. You are probably one of those sheeple who ran and got vaxxed and freakin regretting it now! I know a number of people in that situation. At the end of the day, it is your choice, your Idiocy!
A lot of farmers and fisherfolk were “created”.
LOL
Andrew. No rabbits in hat. I’m second in saying what is point ? You’re lack of leadership sink us. Cut your rolls of gov staff only way u more efficient. Move people into things that improve tourism product rather than keep fking it. Endless air conditioned jobs for bvi ppl ain’t future.
Another step backwards.
If the premier says go left I think you should go right
just like how nobody was gonna die from covid on his watch… the premier should stop saying things he cant be certain of.
Like saying that if everyone wears seatbelts, because people end up in hospital from road accidents, then don’t wear seatbelts. Idiocy on steroids. Also BS.
I wonder if it would work if a seat belt vaccine would work so that those manual ones don’t have to use….
B**** only hiring all his Island women friends..This Merger success depends on good leadership…The idea is good, I like it..
If more than one Thousand Fake Business people, fake fishers and Farmers Get more that $3000.00 for their fakeness that can easily equate to more than a thousand Jobs in one hundred days…Promised made, by the hook or by the crook, a promised kept…
Once you come on this bias newsite daily it is the same thing. Negative Headlines and blogs by the same people each day against the Premier and the sitting government. Some set of people are being paid really well.
All sites have negativity but none more than the bumble bee site.
No inefficiency nor non-productivity will be lost either. This new structure wont result in any positive progress or productivity. Just chaos. Ideas 26th no implementation plans. Just like when they put in BVI Love and got rid of LittleSecrets.
When would the merger of Water & Sewerage Department (WSD) with BVI Electricity (BVIEC) occur?
If the above is not ideal why not have a management agreement with BVIEC to operate that department as an enterprise similar to BVIEC?
Of course, the legal structure of WSD has to change to that of a commercial enterprise and separated from Central Government. It could also progress to be a subsidiary and managed by BVIEC.
When would one of these options be put in place?