I TOLD YA’ALL last week dat the New Year 2013 opened wid a big bang and dat I would continue talking ’bout the lot o’ new year drama we experiencing ’bout here from the time it turned and another piece o’ drama is the Barbados Workers’ Union and LIME talks or negotiations or what they does call dem.
Well the other day, LIME up and leh go I think duh say 97 workers just so and from then on this whole thing started wid the union, and even though the Minister of Labour Esther Byer-Suckoo got involved duh cahn seem tuh come tuh any sort o’ agreement.
Evahbody walking outta the meetings wid a parcel o’ papers in or under duh arms, wid a grim face and not a man ain’t saying a word dat making any kinda sense. The only body who had any kinda talk wid the Press was the minister and ya know she is a politician, dem does say a whole mout’ full and still leff ya nuh wiser.
But I cahn tell ya what is going tuh happen in this particular drama ’cause Sir Roy Trotman like he want tuh call out all o’ the members o’ the workers’ union and you and I know what dat would do to this country.
I remember some years back wid the same LIME people, when it was BarTel, dat the union call out evahbody and actually shut down the whole place. I think a fella name David, I cahn remember he last name now, was at the forefront o’ the whole thing but it was federation ’bout here.
I really ain’t know if Sir Roy think he got a good enough case or grounds tuh call out all the members; I am sure dat a lot o’ things gotta be going through his mind ’bout this particular decision. He might be looking at his own position and thinking dat it might not guh down too well wid his other “Sir” comrades who he might cause a lot o’ grief tuh because duh own big businesses.
Sir Roy might be even thinking dat the rest o’ the workers’ union members who still working at LIME might not like the decision, frighten dat if dem strike, dem might get send home too, so duh might spite he and cut off he phones or whatevah ’cording tuh the young people.
He might be even a li’l frighten dat if he say shut down and expecting all the union members from all ovah Barbados tuh put down duh tools and come out, duh doan come out ’cause looking at how things going today, dem too might be frighten dat duh lose duh li’l pick and he, Sir Roy, get leff looking like a tiger widout teet. But it looks tuh me like he him-muh-haw-ing.
He gotta make up his mind one way or the other and do something ’bout um though.
I think I see a picture in the papers wid the Prime Minister and a whole lot o’ people sitting down in a big room and the faces of all o’ dem look like duh got the weight o’ the world pon duh shoulders. Check duh faces, all o’ dem ramfle up, duh jawbones clasp tight, tight, tight and duh lips pursed.
Another piece o’ drama, dat got another set o’ people up in arms and offset, is wid the churches and the lot o’ thiefing dat going on in dem.
You could imagine dat people could walk in or break in tuh a church, pick down and walk ’way wid the people equipment and whatevah else duh could put duh two hands pon? Now tell me, what duh doing wid it? Duh gotta be someway tuh get it offa duh hands.
Nuhbody doan walk ’bout selling microphones, amplifiers, candlesticks and dem kinda things so: something wrong and look, ya doan hear nothing ’bout the churches evah getting back none o’ duh property. Something gotta be real wrong here boh.
Look, when I was growing up, ya had such a fear fuh God.
Ya used tuh hear people telling ya dat ya must have respect fuh the house o’ God and there is certain things ya doan do or even say in the church, but not nowadays.
Leh me tell ya, I grow up in The City and it was common tuh see all kinds o’ drunkards and whoevah else walk into the church and humble duhselves but not nowadays, people just ain’t care fuh God nor man; duh thiefing and selling like um gine outta style; people like duh would sell duh very soul fuh a quick fix. I tell you hear, duh fearless.
Something gotta be done ’bout this lot o’ thiefing though; it is sad dat churches cahn even open duh doors during the day fuh anybody wid a heavy heart tuh go into and spend some time in prayer before God.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
