News

The Barbados opposition has accused the Government of neglecting the needs of Barbadian businesses that worked throughout the Cricket World Cup.

Opposition Leader David Thompson highlighted the plight of School Meals staff who have not yet been paid for work done during CWC.

"They don't factor the CWC horror stories of ordinary Barbadians into their analyses. The Democratic Labour Party is insisting that the true experiences of Barbadians from all walks of life should be factored into the analysis and not just the profits of those for whom the fatted calf was killed," said Thompson.

He said his party was sympathetic to the predicament of dislocated School Meals workers as well as the vendors' group that contracted them, but feared there were "plenty more hard-luck stories such as this waiting to come to light".

"I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg," he said. "There are many more small business persons hurting as a result of this experience and the ministers need to come down from their ivory towers and understand what ordinary Barbadians are going through.

"Finance Minister Clyde Mascoll is speaking as someone out of touch and tune. He is beating his chest while many Barbadian workers are holding their heads in despair."

Thompson added there was no getting away from the fact that the expectations of ordinary Barbadians were raised, then dashed.

"They were assured by Government that this experience would have created new opportunities and would have taken them to a new level."

This has not come to pass and we believe strongly that Government should bear part of the burden for this humongous letdown."

He added: "It is really amazing how all the foreign companies that had a part to play in Cricket World Cup have been paid and have smiled all the way to the bank, and our very own Barbadian companies, selected ones that is, are left licking their financial wounds. This cannot be fair."

Published: 28 May 2007
Issue: 1271