The opposition Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) is laying the blame for Saturday’s strike at the Providenciales International Airport by the Fire Department, which was responsible for some flight cancellations, squarely at the feet of the ruling Progressive National Party (PNP).
In a statement, Deputy Leader of the PDM, Robert Been, has come out swinging at the government, accusing the Washington Misick administration of indulging in catchy slogans over the people’s welfare.
The following is the statement by Been:
It saddens me that time after time we continue to see a repeat of past actions which have gone unaddressed by an elected government of the day. June 18th we all were notified of flights not being able to enter and exit the country.
Must I remind the government that these flights are the bread and butter of our country? It seems so. The Turks and Caicos has an exceptional group of men and woman who have offered professional services to the industry.
Just like other departments, they too deserve proper wages and proper working environments. It appears that the 15% salary increase wasn’t equal across the board. I am sure the fire fighters communicated this before making their decision to strike.
This could have been avoided if there was respect and proper communication. Mutual agreements by parties involved could have been settled long before our travelling public and airline partners were so unfairly inconvenienced, and our aviation reputation compromised yet again.
We are also learning that the security officers may do the same by Tuesday.
It makes me question the PNP Government when they make statements about us living our best lives in Turks and Caicos. It seems that statement is a fascination with the lyrics of the song because nothing has changed to improve the lives of our people.
I call on this sitting quiet government once again to take care of your people, visit your department and find out issues, challenges and concerns. It’s work, real work and not catchy slogans or silence that we expect of you.