Thursday, August 6, 2020
By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT
ts-cartwright@tribunemedia.net
WHILE optimistic about the current national lockdown, Director of Labour John Pinder said he doubts unemployment will increase during this period due to the extended NIB unemployment programme that is giving employers a necessary break.
Mr Pinder spoke to The Tribune yesterday, day one of a two-week minimum national lockdown meant to curb the surge of COVID-19 cases.
“Unemployment will not necessarily increase because of the new lockdown,” Mr Pinder said. “I think for the most part, it all has to do with the economy opening up. Because we have that extended 13 weeks with NIB that gives the employer some time to try to get their business in order. And, so we don’t expect any extra layoffs just because of the lockdown that is happening now.
“We recognise that once you are in an extended layoff period, NIB is still giving you some level of assistance and that is the view of the employer not terminating you, but keeping you in an additional layoff position so that when the economy opens again, you have your job.”
Mr Pinder said that was the whole purpose of extending the “grace period” with NIB. He also said he has not heard about impending layoffs due to the new lockdown.
In June, Labour Minister Dion Foulkes said the country’s unemployment rate could be as high as 40 percent, but stressed officials won’t know the exact figure until the Department of Statistics does its jobs survey.
Earlier this year, concerns were also raised that NIB might not pay clients whose employers deducted contributions from their salaries and did not make payments to the agency.
Mr Pinder sought to assuage those fears.
“NIB is saying once the person has proof of employment and the contribution being deducted, NIB is still going to process those persons for unemployment assistance and unemployment benefit,” he said. “So they are not holding that against the employee. NIB will certainly go after the employer in cases like that. They have a policy and protocols in place that if an employer does not come in to make the necessary arrangement for the payment, then they have the right to prosecute.
“It also depends on the position the employer is in. Because of COVID, they might have some level of leniency but if these persons have not been making the contribution payments prior to that then that is a different situation. NIB will make their judgement call on how far back the employer is on the payments.”
Mr Pinder also said he had not seen any labour dispute filed on behalf of former employees of a popular restaurant which closed its doors and laid off staff earlier in the pandemic.
Last week, an article was posted on social media claiming the workers have not been paid severance pay by a company hired by the restaurant to handle the matter.
Mr Pinder said, when asked about the claims, “If an employee is having difficulty in being properly compensated for years of service they have the right to file a dispute with the Department of Labour and we certainly will do what is necessary to ensure that they get some level of conciliation. Failing that, they can always ask for the matter to be turned over to the Industrial Tribunal.
“I do not recall seeing anything coming from that institution as yet. There were some persons from there (the restaurant in question) who called and were inquiring as to what they were entitled to as severance. They were advised by us what they were entitled to as it relates to the severance pay. I do not recall anything being filed by them as yet.”
Comments
ThisIsOurs says...
"*we have that extended 13 weeks with NIB that gives the employer some time to try to get their business in order. And, so we don’t expect any extra layoffs just because of the lockdown that is happening now*"
that's very poor analysis. Businesses may have accepted losses during the first lockdown to keep people employed. They may not have the ability to or be pschologically capable of swallowing losses a 2nd time around.
Posted 6 August 2020, 7:09 a.m. Suggest removal
tell_it_like_it_is says...
Agreed ThisisOurs. NIB will not determine if they close or not. If the losses are so great and they feel they can't recoup, the business will close permanently or may not reopen until next year. Many businesses already closed during the first 24 hour cufew... big and small.
Posted 6 August 2020, 9:30 a.m. Suggest removal
UN says...
The last time he said that, the next day two companies announced massive layoffs (isn’t the govt notified of all layoffs before they happen?). Untrustworthy. $150 per week is even less than minimum wage - wasn’t it just a short time ago ppl were complaining that the minimum wage amount needed to be increased? Not everyone lives with mummy and/or others. That amount doesn’t even cover the rent of those of us who live alone.
‘We want you to get a taste of how we suffer daily - your salary is too much for you’. NIB not answering emails = We analyze everything about you but we don’t want you to possibly analyze us. Cowardly.
I’m sensing my money is tied up somewhere (maybe even in this country) but that means I’m the only ‘investor’ in history who had to live this way. They can’t show basic compassion but when a hurricane destroys the country they expect instant compassion from others. How can the government be okay with knowing a woman is being subjected to daily abuse from uncivilized people?
Posted 6 August 2020, 9:48 a.m. Suggest removal
hrysippus says...
I believe Mr. Pinder's longest work experience was being a union executive of the state employed workers. This experience is so far away from the realities involved in running a business in the private sector that it is practically worthless in trying to predict whether or not businesses will lay off employees. Remember that no one has ever been terminated from a government job in 50 years or more. Still Mr. Pinder does sound more sensible now than when he was postulating that we could all get rich selling sand like he did several years ago.
Posted 6 August 2020, 10:33 a.m. Suggest removal
tribanon says...
And the light at the end of the dark tunnel we're in continues to get dimmer and dimmer as the tunnel itself gets narrower and narrower. And it's decades of having to contend with thick-headed thugs like John Pinder that has put us in this dark tunnel to begin with.
Posted 6 August 2020, 10:35 a.m. Suggest removal
jus2cents says...
Dear Public Servant Mr. Pinder, you are wrong. Anyone in their right mind can see this.
Why are we paying this buffoons salary, why isn't he on the unemployment line? Because he clearly hasn't a flipping clue.
I give up!
Posted 6 August 2020, 12:30 p.m. Suggest removal
DWW says...
did he graduate from high school? did he ever sit a basic economics class?
Posted 6 August 2020, 1:14 p.m. Suggest removal
DWW says...
Parliamentary Democracy or Socialist Dictatorship?
Posted 6 August 2020, 1:15 p.m. Suggest removal
tetelestai says...
I will take socialist dictatorship, actually. We, the people - generally speaking - are too partisan, too craven, too uneducated, too ignorant, to actually make decision for ourselves (see: the current state of this country). I would not mind a less lethal Mao, or Lee Kuan Yew.
Bahamians, unfortunately, have proven too stupid to vote/govern ourselves.
Posted 6 August 2020, 2:09 p.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
**Some drive east, meaning be heading west. Others under extreme pressure do walk in a backward motion.**
I'm pretty damn sure It's the organised **central authority's** well income cushioned comrades living it up on **PopoulacesPurse, out dispel doubts in minds of the even more thousands edging ever closer to joining the ranks the done ran out paycheques, and benefits hard times.
it's becoming much more noticeable when **allowed** be out and about the out islands doing **most essential errands** not to have noticed an alarming increase in the number of the POAL who have joined the ranks of the **walking in the backward motion** acting out likes they've suddenly come under some mindless kinds **Mr. **Theodore** Minnis's zombie trance.**
This is much too serious of a** psychological** matter just make this crazy stuff up. Just **shouldn't.** Nod Once for Yeah, Twice for No?
Posted 6 August 2020, 1:41 p.m. Suggest removal
DDK says...
Another complete idiot. Is HE losing a pay check for two weeks, again? These people are true morons. Where do they think NIB is going to get the funds to assist the unemployed? NIB is no longer the cash cow it was before successive "majority rule' regimes milked it to death. Oh, I know, we'll just borrow some more from the IMF or the Inter American
Development Bank....
Posted 6 August 2020, 1:43 p.m. Suggest removal
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