Skerrit urges Dominica private sector to keep people employed

Last updated: November 2, 2017 at 13:10 pm

Dominica’s prime minister has urged the private sector to forgo plans to send home workers following the destruction caused to their businesses when Hurricane Maria hit.

But Roosevelt Skerrit also warned public servants that their jobs would only be saved if they show a commitment by turning up for work.

“We will maintain the employment of the public service but on the condition that you work,” he said.

“You as a public servant cannot not show up for work, or be at your home, cooking all day and eating all day while the rest of us come to work every day for 10 to 12 hours.”

The category five storm slammed into the island on 18 September, killing at least 28 people and causing millions of dollars in damage.

Skerrit said he would not be tolerating any “demonstration of laziness to people's national duty.

“We will do everything humanly possible and with the help of the Almighty to ensure that we could get the resources to maintain the public service, but people have to work.

“Everybody has to work and what I will say to you if you are not prepared to demonstrate seriousness about your duty and responsibilities to yourself …and country…you are not working for anybody else and what you put in that's what you will put out.

Call for compassion

He said he was appealing to the private sector that “we should not rush to terminate people's employment.

“There must have a human conscience. You can't always be about the bottom line. We all have difficult circumstances. The government has not earned one single dollar through taxation or port duties since September 18, but we paid all our debts and our legal obligations at the end of September.

“Let us hold people's hands at least for the next few months so that we could all have a good Christmas,” Skerrit told the daily press briefing, adding “so we could buy our little ham, our little turkey and gather around the table as a family”.