Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has revealed that more Dominicans have been employed under the National Employment Program (NEP) than what was originally intended.
The program was launched in December of 2013 and was meant to target 400 people but Skerrit told the 17th Inaugural meeting of the Castle Bruce Village Council on Wednesday that over 1,000 people are now engaged.
“This program the National Employment Program was launched in December of 2013 and we decided to target some 400 people across Dominica. That was the original intentions of the program to employ 400 people,” he said. “We have 1,001 persons engaged under the NEP in the country. Every one of the people who have been employed has been receiving his salary or his wage on time.”
Skerrit outlined a number of reasons why the program is important.
“It helps families and we try our best to ensure that if you are from a particular village, you stay in that village to work,” he stated. “So you don’t have to travel to Roseau or elsewhere to work, you stay in your community, you stay in your village where you can take care of your children, you will have enough time to cook their lunch, make their breakfast, clean your home, take care of your elderly mother, do your work and at the end of the two, weeks or month you get a salary or wage coming to you so you can pay your light bill, you can pay your water and you can help your children.”
At least 46 residents of Castle Bruce signed contracts under NEP on Wednesday.
Rubbish…People on d inside checking deir people.. dat da have stats high & ur head big. I doe mind if it was on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis or people were hired based on qualifications.. Buh is more random selection(preference) I seeing..
So if NEP create 1000 bogus jobs in six months, what is the problem with Team Dominica creating 5000 in three years? In fact based on the NEP it is possible to create 6000, that is 1000 every six months.
Garcon Dominica really take six steps backward and Skerrit really believe he can fool people all the time.
I understand the PM.. ably supported by Hartley Henry, etc.. “if you fooled them in 2005 and 2009, then this would be easy in 2014, promise them everything and give them jobs, jobs”…. until election day.. however PM, Bob Marley say “you can fool some people sometime but you can fool some people all the time”. the five year harvest on the Dominican electorate is gonna flop this time around cause no lie can live forever..
Change is a must not an option!
From the trend and words in several of these comments it is obvious that the same uwp operative is posting under different names. You that desperate bro?
Bring the soup I like it. Less than 6 months after a certain company release over 200 employees they came ack and hired 400 more employees. I am amazed, amazed and confused. But then the PM open his mouth and I am no longer confused nor amazed but I remain amused. My nephew who was employed under the NEP was told no more work and he s still waiting on salaries owed. So is it that they are releasing young people to bring in more.
With all of this happening I just happen to speak to a minister of government who was a class mate and the minister told me in his words ” I don’t even know what is going on” . My jaw dropped when he told me so
while uwp blah blah skeritt keeing his people gud,watch an see skeritt going an take his time an gve all his constituencies b4 election an secure hjis seats,skeritt another 5yrs,,
DNO, since we cannot get Skerrit to hold a press conference to answer our questions, please give us the opportunity to post some questions to him since he seems to be in the mood to throw raw figures at us.
Mr. Skerrit, you told us that your government originally intended to hire 400 persons in 2013, but you have exceeded that amount by 601 persons. With this in mind sir, can you please clear the air on the following:
1. On Wednesday, January 29th, 2014, DNO posted this article: “Clear Harbor to expand and create 400 jobs.” In this same article Pm Skerrit revealed that he had to cut his summit in Cuba short also said “This is no doubt very exciting news for Dominica, and for the number of unemployed young people we have in the country, and also on the economy.” This being said, will the Hon. PM tell the people of Dominica if the 400 employed by Clear Harbor are paid through the NEP program?
2. If not, will the HON. PM name each local firm where those extra 601 persons are employed and how many persons are employed by each firm?
3. Since you revealed that you try to employ persons villagers “So you don’t have to travel to Roseau or elsewhere to wor.k.” will the Hon. PM submit the names of each village, where in those villages are they employed and how many?
ask him again!!!!!!
and what you all buying lies and more lies
Skerrit, one of the steps Obama took to improve the economy and repair the unemployment rate was that of massive cuts all over the country, where companies were given less money to spend and yet expected them to accomplish more. What you are boasting about is a no no, You boasting of originally planning to employ 400 persons but somehow you employed 1001. If a manager of any firm did that in the USA they would be fired immediately! You boasting about it? What is the correct amount of money you have spent on the NFP to date? Don’t throw the amount of people employed without the cost! How much work did you get done? How can you convince me that you could take tax payers money to pay people to work for local firms and you see it as a success? Furthermore, for the sake of transparency can you please name the firms that are benefiting from such program and how many were employed before the NFP and how many are there since the NFP/ Stop throwing numbers at us because we are not all fools.
Desperation figure to stay in power hit 1000%. The super saturated can of worms in your clauset is about to burst. The little rock and it’s young are waiting with anxiety. Justice can only be acquired thru change.
We can’t be fooled by skerrit pre-election gimmicks.
If I as a manager or salesman needed to get 400 persons to buy or invest in my program and I end up getting 1001 person, that I would be proud of . But if I am given a contract to build 40 villas and I realize in order to make a profit I need to hire no more than 400 persons and instead, I hired 1001 persons to get the same job done, or even less, as in the case of this lazy , visionless dlp, wouldn’t this be a sure sign that the future of my company is in trouble? Is because of poor decisions like this our economy has been plunged into serious trouble and badly needs Team Dominica
Roosevelt Skerrit had the guts to tell people that his governments intention was to employ 400 people, but now it has grown to 1,001 persons. Skerrit this statement has confirmed to all the reason why you and the DLP have failed. First of all, it clearly reveals your lack of vision and management skills. After all, the PM and minister of finance hired 70% more than what he really intended to hire? In the world of economics, a wise manager usually puts out less money and demands more work and here you are boasting of putting out more money and has nothing to show? I mean how many business places would be proud of a manager that spent 70% more than what was bugeted and got less work to show for it? Wouldn’t you fire that manager forthwith? If the man had vision and business skills he would not have under bugeted by 70%. That tells me money was just there to be spent vikivie and no one was keeping an eye on it. I guess Hartley Henry did not help him with this speech man. How shameful!
he said it was intended for 400 people but 1001 persons are employwd under the program.what does that tell u mr skerit??? it doe have job in the country , no money all u mal travai. nonscence all u doing in cabinet. walk out as u have the chance now befor we trow u outside.
The original intentions of the program was designed to employ 400 people. This means that a budget was prepared to incur expenditure valued at 400($X). We conclude that the approval was reached at either a Cabinet meeting or a wishful thinking at parliament. The program now has 1001 and climbing persons employed. The real question is when was the (is there a) supplementary budget approved and where. What is the estimated number of employees being targeted and within what time frame. What is the revised value of the NEP or are we on a pay as you come work system!!!! At least the opposition said that they would create xxx amount of jobs within xxx time. What is the NEP revised target.
Excellent!
This so called national Employment programme has all the ear marks of a political sham that is so transparent that I am surprised that its promoters and advocates would seek to highlight its accomplishment. The success that the programme heralds is more a testament to the skill of its promoters in the use propaganda rather than a real accomplishment for which the nation should be proud.
First of all, it should be clear even to those with a most level of political sophistication, that a programme that ‘creates” jobs, especially for those with the right political affiliation, is not creating jobs, but rather, is creating income generation opportunities, whether or not the so called job really contributes to the national output . it is a sham, an artifice, or a fraudulent scheme to use public money to create a facade, all in the name of national employment.
I am told on good authority that party faithfuls are hired to tend to “parks” and other make belief jobs.
A more credible employment programme would entail teaming up with farmers and enable them to increase their output, find market for their produce, and this in turn would enable them to hire. There are many such opportunities to exploit and contribute to employment but the government chose to deceive us with a dishonest scheme that relies on make belief.
Governments do not create jobs or the illusions of jobs. The private sector does.
Smoke screen.
Wow!!!
This is even more worrying than I thought and highlights the high rate of unemployment in Dominica.
Let’s be objective and think for a minute people… As the PM stated over 1,000 people are employed by the NEP program – good some people are getting a salary.
Now we all know this is NOT sustainable. I.E these jobs are not in newly built companies or government projects that generate revenue. Now when the NEP is no longer what is going to happen to these 1,000 people – in addition to the other hundreds that are currently unemployed. Can we even begin to imagine?
If the PM was really interested in Dominican would he not invest in these projects?
– Marina at Cabrits which could indirectly and
directly create over 500 jobs
– Car park over Roseau river which could create
jobs and generate revenue to take care of
Roseau
– Seek to revive the agriculture industry by
seeking new Markets – the markets have not
gone away
Just to name a few… wouldn’t that be a better deal??
And don’t come talking about how expensive these ventures are because we found money to build a state house.
Now we all know that millions of dollars is being given to people all over the country. Where is that money coming from? Are we not concerned? Do we know what our debt is?
Of course it have surpass the intended amount of 400 jobs what do you expect with such a high unemployment on the island
Dominans see what they have but they never know whats cominig
Funny how they laughed at Linton and his team for claiming that they would create 5000 jobs in three years. Linton and team further justified that claim by saying how they would do it. He hinted to exploiting new industries in the area of arts/culture, aggro processing etc. Very realistic. Dr Aaron at his “humiliation session” at the state college went on to ridicule Linton stating that “jobs will be looking for people” citing how impossible Linton’s 5000 jobs/3 yrs idea was. Now here comes Mr. PM with 1000 (unsustainable) jobs in just a few months before elections. In one instance there were 45 jobs in one day in a particular constituency. Just for humor I chose to calculate using that rate.
45 x 365 days =16425 x 3yrs =49275(in three yrs)
At that rate people will have to warn police with jobs, since jobs will be looking them and even harassing them.
These figures show how bad the situation of unemployment was and still is.1000 is a drop in the bucket… many more thousands are unemployed
do like Gaston Browne and bring foreign investors so our people can be employed, so much resorts investing in st.Lucia, Antigua and St.Kitts instead you creating a Govt program saying u employing people. Shame Shame Shame
How is taking tax payer money, and using it to employ people for a few month helping the economy? I pray that Dominicans are not fooled by this political gimmick.
tax payers money is who’s money they are not dominicans
Are u slow in thinking of what is really being said taxpayers money for those who pay taxes and the elderly but not to be used to pay folks for doing private sector work
Mr PM slow down padna u racking up the lies and gimmick to fast, cool down the pace skerro, I don’t want you getting sick, the day after the election, cause it’s evident the loss of at least 16 seats is no longer an option
Good that people can get a salary. But why when my brother worked for this government he had to beg for his money which took over a year ? Why don’t you take care of those obligations ? And I know there are several more cases.
And you are restarted if you think this is a joke
Ambush in the night
Top Up Jobs coming at we now
Ambush in the night
Even priest lying for we now
Ous wee ous wee ous war
And they know not the hour
And they coming with their lie
Astaphan and money
Trying to belittle our integrity now
Thru political strategy
They kept us hungry
And when we gonna get soe food
You got climb the steps of the ministry yeh
Ambush in the night
Rent A jobs coming at wee now
Ambush in the night
Handouts coming like ti ti wi now
Ous weee ous wee ouswar
For they know change is the hour
So they coming with tailes between their legs now
Trying to belittle our intelligence now
Thru political Makackwi
All they do is send out Mepuis
Ambush in the night
Toute Ce volere la they afraid now
Ambush in the night
Let them come with the scrums now
So they coming with their galvanize and Toilet
But we will tell them where they can put it
Ous wee ous wee
Ous waa
So change is at thee hour
just wait for change heart attack all you will get
The PM buying votes.
All you look joke