Members of the Barbados Egg and Poultry Association (BEPA) will not be part of a second social compact should Government and the private sector agree to another one. During a meeting yesterday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, they voted against rejoining 26-1, saying the ten per cent price reduction caused some of the smaller producers to drop out of the sector. “We are just a small player in the …
Taxi operators who ply their trade from the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) went on strike for about four hours yesterday afternoon, leaving hundreds of visitors stranded. Chief Executive Officer of GAIA, Hadley Bourne, said the backup measures were successful, but acknowledged it could have been worse had it been one of the high-traffic days. But Ronald Moore, spokesman for the almost 100 operators taking part in the action, warned …
Come next year, Barbados and the rest of the world will have to pay more for products from this country’s largest rum producer, Mount Gay Distilleries. This was disclosed by managing director of Mount Gay Distilleries, Raphael Grisoni, who said the series of global challenges and other exogenous shocks, had “significantly” increased cost of inputs, adding that despite the best efforts to absorb those costs, some of it must now …
An increase in the retirement age to between 68 and 72 years and a small hike in the contribution rate of half to one per cent are being recommended to help avert a crisis with the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). These were put forward by actuary Derek Osborne to avoid the Scheme running out of funds in just over a decade. Osborne, speaking to the media at the NIS headquarters …
From agriculture, we turn our attention to tourism and business. In the third episode of Living With La Soufriere, Minister of Tourism Carlos James talks about the resilience of the sector, plans to increase room stock as well as new events to lure visitors to St Vincent and the Grenadines. President of the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Anthony Regisford reflects on the way business has changed over the …