BASSETERRE – Former St Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Rt. Hon. Dr Denzil L. Douglas says a claim by Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris that the current level of employment is at its highest is untrue. Dr Harris at his recent press conference said the average level of employment was 24,333 in 2015 and the highest in the history of St Kitts and Nevis.
But Dr. Douglas, who is the Leader of the Opposition accused Dr Harris failing to tell the country that the level of employment was higher in 2013 and 2014 compared to 2015 and that the increase in the wage level was due to salary increases that his St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Administration had given to civil servants in 2014 and 2015 and even provided for in 2016.
“The statistics are there clearly showing that in 2013 we had no less than 27,000 persons employed and this figure in 2014 was also much higher than the 24,333 figure that he quoted in 2015,” said Dr Douglas, pointing out that Harris’ figure is an indication of rising unemployment and not an increase of economic performance by way of employment. “Instead it shows a decrease in the number of persons employed since Dr Harris took office in February of 2015. There is no significant increase in employment. There is a significant decrease in the number of persons employed and therefore a significant increase in the unemployment level here in St Kitts and Nevis,” said Dr. Douglas on Wednesday during Freedom Fm’s “Issues” programme.
“The Labour Administration had put in place an annual increase in the salaries of public servants starting in January 2015. What does he expect? Therefore what is the glorification in making mention of the increase in wage level? It naturally must be so unless he had not implemented the policy that Labour left in place,” said Dr. Douglas.
It must also be taken in consideration that hundreds of construction workers were also employed on several projects initiated by the Labour Party Administration. It must further be noted that some of the projects have been completed while other such as Kittitian Hill, T-Lofts and Embassy suites have stopped.
“Dr Harris has nothing to show for the last 14 months and that is why ridiculous references are been in these two areas,” said Dr. Douglas.