Prime Minister Mia Mottley and representatives from the Ministry of Finance are set to meet with the public servants and their trade unions on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium to discuss the Barbados Optional Saving Scheme (BOSS).
The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados, which was asked to co-ordinate the meetings, today released a schedule which indicates sessions will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and again from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on both days.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions on mass gatherings, workers are asked to note that arrangements are being made to accommodate 1 100 people in the Gymnasium where physical distancing will be observed. Â As a result, sessions will be live streamed to allow participation of those who cannot attend, and to facilitate any questions that they may wish to pose.
Mottley met with representatives of the labour movement last Thursday to discuss Government’s proposed BOSS programme.
The objectives of BOSS are to create approximately $100m fiscal space for capital spending, protect public sector employment and adhere to the principle of burden sharing – being our brother or sister’s keeper – by allowing investment to facilitate the creation of more jobs.
It is a four-year bond with a five per cent interest rate per annum, payable semi-annually, with the principal being paid four years from the date of the bond. There will be no withholding tax on the interest earned and the bond is fully tradeable.
The meetings for the specific groups are listed below:
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Members of the Protective Services, represented by the member units of CTUSAB, Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and Unity Trade Union to include: Police, Fire and Prison Officers, Customs and Immigration Officers and Government Security Guards.
1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Employees in the Health Care Sector, represented by CTUSAB (Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Barbados Nurses Association (BNA), Nurses Assistants and Aides Association of Barbados (NAAAB), Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), Unity Trade Union.
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Wednesday, June 3, 2020
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Employees in the Education Sector, represented by CTUSAB Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), Association of Public Primary School Principals (APPSP), National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (BAPPSS), Unity Trade Union.
1:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.- All categories of Public Officers including staff of SOE’s (Clerical Administrative Staff-Technical Staff represented by CTUSAB (Sugar Industries Staff Association (SISA), National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) and Unity Trade Union. (PR/SAT/BGIS)
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