Unemployment Down

Friday, March 26, 2004

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Reader comments:

• Recently, we heard first hand reports of the lay offs at the Ritz Carlton site. This was disturbing to say the least. However, even more disturbing than the Ritz layoffs are the mass redundancies that are taking place without the public being aware of it. These redundancies are shrouded in silence. This silence is deeply disturbing.
  
  In the last couple of weeks we heard through the marl road that First Caribbean Bank has made some 90 employees redundant. Cable & Wireless has recently made a number of its workers redundant. We now have quite a number of people without jobs in Cayman, within the last month or so. This is very disturbing, but what really bothers me is the fact that these mass redundancies have taken place so quietly (with the exception of the Ritz Carlton). There has not been any news coverage of the bank's mass redundancy exercise and nothing has been said about Cable & Wireless laying off some of its most senior personnel. 
  
  To add insult to injury, last week a headline [in Cayman Net News] screamed "Unemployment Down". 
  
  When will Cayman learn to put the whole truth out and paint a true picture of the facts instead of suppressing information to give a false impression? 
  
  Why were these 2 major employers not called in by the Labour Dept and made to justify their latest actions? Who will replace these redundant employees? More foreigners? There has to be some accountability by these corporations and I am deeply disturbed by the silence that has shrouded these redundancy exercises. Is it because these employees feel that their rights may be prejudiced if they speak out? Are they being threatened to remain silent? Why has there been no meeting with the media and these corporations to give the employer a chance to publicise their reasons for taking such a drastic step?
  
  Unemployment affects the whole country eventually, especially if these jobs are given to foreigners.
  
  The drastic step of taking so many people out of the work force is a major cause for worry for this country, but even more disturbing is the silent way in which these redundancy exercises were effected - Direct Current

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