Economy : 2/9/2010
If you freeze people's wages and they are entitle to an increase, it would be an injustice to them. Government is suppose to attend to government affairs and seek to know what their responsibilities are. DO NOT give anymore money to private businesses, thinking they are too big to fail.

wage freeze : 2/9/2010
Gov`t is suggesting a wage freeze yet everything is going up around you.Utility bills,food,Petroleum products,etc.Is the gov`t ministers, the parliament members and the six figure money earners that are so willing to support this,willing to take a pay cut.While i may agree to Mr Johnson to some extent,because we are too much of a"gimme,gimme",society,we still have to look at the people at the lower end and how will they survive.

Beyond wage freeze : 2/9/2010
Mr. Johnson is not all right. Yes there is too much of a mendicant mentality in Barbados. But it is not either public or private sector. Some countries have successfully applied hybrid systems - in health care for example. As an economist Mr. Johnson should look at merits of each, not simply a drastic shift from one to the other (public to private). Such goes against socialist approach that is Barbados

Wage Freeze : 2/9/2010
The mere fact that the Government is dictating/suggesting a wage freeze shows how dependant we barbadians have become on the Government. If we were more of an entrepreneurial state we could dictate how much we earned by how hard we worked. The Government looking after us from the Cradle to Grave attitude that we have developed is sinking us as a country. We are too dependent on the few that pay taxes who are fleeing by the minute. This is not sustainable.

pay for it never... : 2/9/2010
wait now it looks like we bajans got to start to pay for every thing now,this is after the people that had there guts full of freeness for years,seeing it fit to talk dog now and things ruff,when will the dlp tell we bajans what the imf tell them to do cause i can see pain coming...

wage freeze : 2/9/2010
Well said Most commentators jump to prescriptions before examining the causes.The deficit is a result of the erosion of the tax base. i.e gross national income/gross national expenditure.We should therefore aim at stimulating these.Wage freezes is a relevant tool when income significantly exceeds productivity.
bernard codrington

In Barbados' case it is the lack of competent economic leadership : 2/9/2010
Not totally accurate as regards productivity, in fact,one of the key strengths of Singapore is its quality of infrastructure. Now you understand the folly of government cutting its capital works programme.

: 2/9/2010
Bajans have been encouraged over the years by political parties to expect too many hand outs. Cut back on a lot of these hand-outs before cutting peoples wages like in the 1990s!! Only Barbados pays for education up to and including tertiary level, free school meals, free medicals from birth to the grave (what about free funerals too?) and Lord knows what other "freeness"!! And who pays for all of this? Certainly not "Government"(government does not and never "earned" any funds!) or the DLP or BLP as the case may be! It is you and I, the taxpayer, who is forced to provide the funds for all this "freeness". I am not trying to say that some less fortunate people should not be helped but there has to be a limit to what may be expected, after all, the taxpayers do not have bottomless pockets!
Also while all this money is being diverted for all this "assistance" to the population at large, the Police, Nurses and teachers (key personnel in any society)are suffering at the bottom of the emoluments scale. WHY should this be so!!

productivity means job losses : 2/9/2010
in the public service to improve productivity in one officer will show that probably 3 are not needed. Do not say productivity say lay off.

Inspiration : 2/9/2010
I have reviewed the competitiveness of the Singapore Economy, which is one of the world leaders all be it as small. The large difference between us and Singapore is Productivity. If we want to develop seriously we need to address this area. And, although many would want to say lets start with the Politicians lets start with ourselves because politicians come from within our society, we elect them. Wage Freeze No. Productivity Yes.

Chainging Mind Set : 2/9/2010
Mr. Johnson, I totally agree with you but I am a pragmatist so I know that this will be a herculean task. Both parties are guilty of creating this environment as members seek political office in an attempt to drink from the trough.

Wage free not enough : 2/9/2010
I agree Mr. Johnson,
This give away culture is defeating Barrow's dream. For if the government is to provide free housing, transport, medicine, where does the government get that money from? The barbadians, who have taken Barrow's seriously!!! Now Thompson want to kill these fattened calves.
Nobody wants to work, to have it bleed from them to support those who want more than they earn.

"Freeze plus" : 2/9/2010
Mr Johnson is of course, entirely right. What we need, but should not hold our breath in anticipaton, is for both parties, and the social partnership, to seize the obvious opportunity, to provide a new mental platform of real "Pride and Industry", to throw out many years of "free" this, that, and free everything, that Bajans habe been politically trained to believe comes down from Heaven. And for Unions (particularly those with members in the civil (Ha!) service, and in statutory corporations) to accept real responsibility for enjoying an acknowledged crucial place in our society and economy- and to ensure our kids'future. Our kids MUST learn, that we WORK for what we need; and respect is EARNED,