This past week the Chamber of Commerce along with members of the business community expressed the following concern;

“Illegal’s offensive Unsettles Business” The Tribune 3 January 2018

Excerpt from this article; “Business leaders yesterday lined up to caution the government over threats of financial penalties if they are caught employing immigrants.

Edison Sumner, Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employer Confederation (BCCEC) CEO said while companies should comply with the law the government should remember businesses shoulder the weight of the economy.

He was joined by Arawak Port development (APD) CEO and BCCEC Chairman Mike Maura who said the Minnis administration’s latest warning to employers about hiring undocumented immigrants was ‘establishing fear’ in the minds of business owners.

However, he too was adamant there should be no excuse for any business to hire illegal employees.”

While I was trying to rationalize this statement, which seems to contradict itself, because while business owners say that “there should be no excuse for any business to hire illegal employees, it also says that “…..The Minnis administration’s latest warning too employers about hiring undocumented immigrants was ‘establishing fears’ in the minds of business owners”, but if you are not hiring undocumented immigrants why would/should this warning ‘establish fears’ in the minds of business owners?

But just as I was attempting to rationalize this blatant contradiction, here come another which seems just a bizarre, if not even more so.

“Sickout – Dozens of Water and Sewerage employees reportedly protest investigation’ – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “As police continue to investigate allegations of theft at the Water and Sewage Corporation (WSC), 30 employees engaged in a sick out yesterday.

WSC Chairman Adrian Gibson said as the move was disappointing, adding that it was ‘ridiculous and unwarranted’

‘Yes, there are person engaged in this act that goes contrary to the industrial agreement,’ he said when called for comment.

‘It is most disappointing that this has been undertaken, given that there is currently an investigation into matters at the corporation and no conclusion has been arrived at.’

‘Furthermore, the leader of the non-management union, who has been making various comments in the press, he knows that he has to this day not responded to a request for response by the corporation with respect to some matters.”

So what we seem to have here are two cases of extreme contradiction leading to nothing more than confusion. 

In the first case the Chamber of Commerce and business leaders seem to suggest that they supports the government’s initiative to ‘crack down’ on persons who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, but at the very same time the Chamber seems to issue a subtle warning to the government and take offense over same said initiative’ then in the second case, we have the Bahamas Utilities Service and Allied Workers Union (BUSAWS) seeming to condemn the investigation into the alleged theft at the Water and Sewerage Cooperation, while seeming to condone the act of thief at the corporation by staging a ‘sickout’.  It is logical that the allegations would/should be investigated and those whose names are called will be question about their roles in said allegation, this is how investigation works.  So, as to what the president of the union expects can only be labeled as unreasonable as best; what were his expectations?  He should actually be assisting the investigation and moving the process along instead of bordering on obstruction of justice.

It is curious that in both matters, person say that they want what is in the best interest of the country but still seem to seek to undermine the progress f both processes being conducted by the government.

These acts make no sense if the country voted for change.

 END