BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Monday 21^st October 2019)- Police are reporting that a group of non-nationals found in the Bird Rock area yesterday (Sunday) are claiming that the boat they were travelling on overturned.

According to the Public Relations Department, police responded to a report sometime after 6 p.m. that a group of persons had been found in the Bird Rock area claiming that their boat had capsized.

It is said that as a result, fifteen (15) nationals of Haiti – thirteen (13) men and two (2) women – were taken into custody, and that police handed the persons and their documents over to the Immigration Department today (Monday).

Reportedly, Head of the Immigration Department, Meclyn Hughes, has disclosed that each individual would receive a medical checkup.

She also stated that while her Department was taking the lead in investigating this matter, they would also be working along closely with The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and the St. Kitts-Nevis Coast Guard.

Persons with information regarding this matter are asked to call the Immigration Department 465-8470, their nearest Police Station or the crime hotline at 707.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 18th October 2019)– Information reaching this media house indicates that a 10- second cellphone recorded video of an altercation between a cruise male tourist and male taxi operator is not what it all appears to be as the moments leading up to the controversial incident has not been captured.

According to a credible source, the taxi operator was acting in self-defense mode after he was allegedly kicked by the tourist-said to be a cruise ship passenger.

As gathered, the incident took place on Tuesday this week (15^th October) at Port Zante within the vicinity of the taxi stand.

The video which has been widely circulated via social media continues to be debated by members of the public.

When contacted, an official from the St.Kitts Tourism Authority informed that the incident is currently being investigated and so there is no comment to be given at this time.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 18th October 2019) – Yesterday (Thursday), various groups involved in the area of work/industrial relations in St.Kitts-Nevis assembled  for the third annual National Conference on Labour observed under the theme ‘The Future of Work’.

The session which was held at the Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) in Fortlands, saw more than 50 individuals in attendance hailing from groups including the St.Kitts-Nevis Trades & Labour Union, the Labour Department, Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the St.Kitts Teachers’ Union, the Building & Contractors Association and also the Nurses’ Association.

The agenda for this year’s event was established to be a conference seeking to provide a place for dialogue for national experts, employers and entrepreneurs, trade union representatives and professionals from the public and private sectors to address the challenges and opportunities for the future of work.

The conference was one of the activities for a week of activities-organised by the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Ecclesiastical Affairs- in observance and celebration of the ILO’s (International Labour Organisation) Centenary anniversary, adopting its ‘The Future of Work’ theme.

Topics of discussions looked at areas such as the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME)-Implications for the future of work, the main changes taking place in the world of work in the Federation and How our economy can benefit from ongoing technological transformation.

Deputy Labour Commissioner Dion Webb, during his remarks, touched on the significance of the trade unions and employers organisations.

“Employers organisations and trade unions are distinct from other civil society groups in that they represent the actors of the real economy and draw their legitimacy from the broad and large membership they represent.”

He continued: “Trade union organisations have the mandate to argue to the collective voice of workers; organising, empowering and informing them of their rights and creating the necessary interlinkage between policy level and or employers. Employers have the mandate to argue the collective voices of employers, promoting the interest of business across our economic sectors, advocating for policy and regulatory systems and influencing labour market but also sustaining social peace and maintain enterprise social response.”

According to Webb: “Without social dialogue, the inherent contradiction between labour and capital would not be manage properly. We hope from today’s discussions, we can formulate new recommendations for shaping a brighter and more sustainable future of work in the Federation.”

“The powerful forces of globalisation, the technological and digital revolution, global warming and climate change as well as demographic shifts are challenging the world of work. In the consultation today, we hope to deliberate on how those changes are having profound impacts on the Federation and the Caribbean as well as implications for the future towards achieving a sustainable future,” he added.

First Vice President of the St.Kitts-Nevis Trades & Labour Union Sydney Bridgewater congratulated the ILO on its milestone achievement.

“100 years is not 100 days, and so as we gather this week to applaud this significant milestone of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), I would hereby encourage us to think about the collective contributions in areas of progress made and the challenges conquered by way of enabling us to toast the Centenary Anniversary observed under the theme ‘The Future of Work’.”

He pledged the Union’s determination in continuing to do its part.

“Despite our present challenges, the St.Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union remains committed to the  to ensuring that we do our part to complement the efforts of our like-minded partners. We are determined to push on an organisation formed -80 years ago this year- to protect and further the rights and interests of workers.”

He continued: “Whenever an aggrieved worker/employee reaches out to us, we are constantly reminded that labour-related issues are ongoing and require special attention and action in some instances in the changing landscape of the world of work nowadays.”

Bridgewater said the union is pleased to be part of the National Tripartite Committee that is currently working on the Labour Code document.

“…at this stage we are looking forward to the continued work of helping to fine tune the relevant details of the Labour Code document which seeks to put forward the proper legislative framework that no doubt is critically important for governing the labour/industrial relationship between employers and employees relative to the Federation of St.Kitts and Nevis.”

The Labour Spokesman newspaper is owned by the St.Kitts-Nevis Trades & Labour Union.

Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 15, 2019 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis pledges to continue efforts to enhance local awareness of the importance of statistics, as well as strengthen the quality of data collection and analysis based on international standards, while improving relations with development partners to achieve these goals.
 
Minister of Social Services, the Honourable Eugene Hamilton made this commitment during a national radio and television address to officially mark the 11^th Observance of Caribbean Statistics Day on October 15, 2019.
 
Minister Hamilton noted that Caribbean Statistics Day, which was first commemorated in October 2009 in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), highlights the crucial role that statistics plays across a wide spectrum of activities and sectors. He added that statistics has a significant impact on the work of the public and private sectors, as well as academia.
 
He also said statistics affects the lives of individuals. For instance, actuaries use statistics to assess the likelihood of future events and calculate the associated financial costs, if they were to happen. Many of them work in the insurance industry, helping insurance companies to determine risk levels and premium prices.
 
“Statistics is important to the government – in the management of policies and programmes; the business sector – for pursuing productive and profitable ventures, and the general public – for making rational decisions regarding spending and life’s ambitions,” the minister stated.
 
The Team Unity administration has relied on the expertise of actuaries on matters such as Universal Health Care and resolving all outstanding issues with respect to incorporating Government Auxiliary Employees (GAEs) into the pensionable establishment. The administration has also engaged an actuary to provide advice and support in enhancing the sustainability of the Severance Fund for present and future generations of workers.
 
The minister stated that, “Accurate statistics is ever so relevant to our Federation in that our regional and international partners utilize it to evaluate and tailor the type of support that they could provide to St. Kitts-Nevis.”
 
Minister Hamilton noted that the Statistics Department in the Ministry of Sustainable Development is carrying out an Enhanced Country Poverty Assessment to report on the incidence of poverty and assess the general improvement in living conditions of the population.
 
“The importance of such data is to update the basic information and enable policymakers to conduct more effective planning and implementation of programmes. Inevitably, this would better prepare us for the effects of natural disasters, economic crises, and other negative unforeseen circumstances that could result in the loss of lives,” the minister stated.
 
Honourable Hamilton stated that the Team Unity administration will continue to give “every support to the efforts of the Statistics Department.”

Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 15, 2019 (SKNIS): In an effort to get accurate and timely information that can be used to plan policies and execute targeted marketing strategies, business and institutional communities are encouraged to strengthen cooperation with the Department of Statistics.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Elretha Simpson-Browne, made these remarks at the Department of Statistics’ Open Day in observance of Caribbean Statistics Day 2019 on Tuesday, October 15. 

“Our business communities are very important to us. My focus today is to appeal to our business and institutional communities to cooperate more with the Department of Statistic, and to ask you to give the department the support and the information that we need so that when we disseminate the statistics it would be accurate statistics,” the permanent secretary said.

She referenced the launch of the Department of Statistics’ website: www.stats.gov.kn, and noted that the cooperation from relevant stakeholders will be greatly appreciated because timely and accurate information is key.

“Today, (October 15), we launched our website, but I believe that we know whatever we put in is what we are going to get out. So if the information that goes on our website is not correct, then that is the information that the general public would have,” the permanent secretary said.