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Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs and MP for the St. Michael North West Constituency, Christopher Sinckler (left) presenting an award to Breakfast Chef at the Club, Barbados Resort and Spa, Heather Hinds (centre). Looking on is General Manager, Andrew Zephirin (right).

Sinckler: Barbados ahead of game

 

While Barbados may be a small island developing state (SIDS), it has achieved far more than some of the bigger metropolitan countries in the world.
 
This fact was brought to the attention of those constituency members who were in attendance at the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) St. Michael North West Branch Awards and Luncheon, recently.
 
This can be seen by anyone who has paid close attention to the just concluded election in the United States, said Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs and MP for the area, Christopher Sinckler, who stated that things that we have had in place since the 1960’s, such as free college education for all citizens and paid maternity leave for pregnant women, were now being discussed in the USA in 2016.
 
“The United States just celebrated – well, I don’t know if they celebrated – they concluded an election where they elected Donald J. Trump over Hilary Clinton. I am not going to say which one I supported, I will leave you to figure that out. However, in that campaign, can you imagine that they were talking about getting free college education – they were talking about providing students with free college education; they were talking about providing mothers with paid maternity leave, they were talking about things that we have done since the 1960’s and 70’s and that is the richest country in the world.”
 
In addition, there are other areas that Barbados is ahead of the game such as severance pay and sick leave regulations.
 
“Things that we take for granted – severance pay; when you go home sick, you get unemployment benefits; you can get two days off without having to get a doctor’s certificate; you can call in sick. We have done those things since the 1960’s. They are now debating whether or not they should do it [with] one candidate saying yes and the other candidate saying no.”
 
“Then of course, there is free health care, free education, free social welfare and transportation which is subsidised by the Government,” Sinckler reminded the packed room to thunderous applause.
 
“They were even discussing in that election raising the minimum wage of the current level of US$9.00 an hour to US$15.00 an hour. That is the United States of America. 
 
“In Barbados; where we don’t pay for health care – we go into a polyclinic or the Queen Elizabeth Hospital; where we largely don’t pay for education, right up to the university level – which we introduced recently; where we get social welfare free; 
public transport that is subsidised – all of those things that we have – and sometimes we have to wonder if all of us are proud of the things that we have achieved?”

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