By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

MORE than a dozen employees of the Gaming Board, including some who hoped to become permanent staff, have been let go, Press Secretary Anthony Newbold confirmed yesterday.

Though Mr Newbold didn’t give details of the matter, a source familiar with it said 18 people were let go last week.

These included people whose contracts had expired as well as some who had been on probation, according to Mr Newbold. The Minnis administration has taken a conservative approach to public sector hiring and has not shied from letting workers go since the May 10 general election.

Since that time, more than 100 people have been let go for various reasons, according to The Tribune’s reports.

In August, at least 27 employees of the Ministry of Tourism were let go. Fifteen people were let go that month from the Bahamas Agriculture and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) as well. The contracts of 21 workers at the National Insurance Board (NIB) were terminated in June after their agreements expired and in recent months the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has let go at least 42 people in its bid to make its budget work.

The backdrop to the firings is the Minnis administration’s belief that the previous administration hired thousands of people over the last five years and especially in its last six months to boost its election chances. 

Brensil Rolle, minister of the public service and National Insurance, has said between December 2016 and May 2017, the government’s payroll ballooned by $16.5 million due to the Christie administration’s hiring of new public service workers during that period. 

More than 1,700 people were included in this count. According to Mr Rolle, the public service increased by 6,500 people over the last five years, during the last Christie administration.

Nonetheless, the employees have been let go at a time when the economy remains weak and employment prospects bleak. The unemployment rate, according to the latest Labour Force survey, is 9.9 per cent, however this is a decline from 11.6 per cent. 

The problem was symbolised by last week’s Island Luck job fair when about 1,000 people went to the Kendal G Isaacs Gym hoping to fill 150 available jobs.