News
“Fix it!” TCI Premier calls for remedy to public sector staff issues which led to long lines and angry tourists
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – March 8, 2018 – Industrial action mingled with a contentious new shift system for immigration officers stationed at the Providenciales International Airport is what caused the embarrassing situation at the country’s main gateway when thousands of travelers were held up by dreadfully long lines.
Cell phone videos, photographs and comments from exasperated guests to the island and residents were circulated on social media and online exposing that the wait time and conditions for immigration processing at the airport was grueling. 
Hundreds of tourists huddled inside the arrivals lounge and queues stretching outside of the terminal building and onto the sweltering tarmac, where airline passengers were made to wait their turn in the unbridled heat of the sun were captured on film.
Magnetic Media heard reports that some guests were unable to stand up to the heat and literally fell out.
Everyone agrees that it is an unacceptable state of affairs.
The Premier called for the situation to be fixed and clarified that it is no longer Cabinet’s role to deal with human resources issues within the public sector. The Civil Service falls within the portfolio of the Deputy Governor, who is Anya Williams.
Premier Sharlene Robinson said: “The Public Service is led by the Deputy Governor, that power is delegated by the Governor of the Turks and Caicos islands. We have absolutely no authority, outside of Cabinet, to set up a shift system or to say what numbers of persons should be at the airport or not. Ministers don’t want to be in the day to day running, we are not allowed to be but people want their ministers at policy level.”
The Premier confirmed that ‘something’ had happened and that the Border Control Minister, Deputy Premier Sean Astwood called an emergency meeting with officers and the Deputy Governor. The meeting was also held on Thursday.
The Premier in a press conference on Thursday at her office in Providenciales, supported by three Cabinet ministers was visibly disapproving of the matter which had been a looming threat since November 2017. At that time, on the day of the inaugural flight of Southwest Airlines, Immigration Officers staged a ‘sick out’ due to claims of outstanding pay. Reports were that more industrial action was possible because matters were unsettled.
“This government is not pleased and what is happening at the airport is nothing short of embarrassing and unacceptable… we are now in a position where guests are uncomfortable on entering our country that is their first impression of the Turks and Caicos, we see the negative reports and that is not what we need right now,” said Premier Robinson.
The Premier added that the ‘Open for Business’ campaign which was driven by the Government and the Tourism sector in the aftermath of the September hurricanes worked well, and of least concern to the stakeholders was the now long lines at the airport created during what is a usual peak season for these islands.
“We have asked those who do have the authority to manage the public service to advise us as to what is going on, but not just to advise us but to fix it, it must be fixed,” said Premier Sharlene Robinson.
The PDM Government leader explained, “Until we begin to hold people accountable for where they are we are going to always have this sort of situation ongoing. People who are responsible directly, must be held accountable and I await that report… because now, we are going to take the initiative to visit with these guests and talk to these guests at they leave but to also visit with them where they are to say to them this is certainly not the welcome beautiful by nature offers.”
Present at the meeting was also Minister of Tourism Ralph Higgs who addressed his ministry’s strategy in a damage control effort.
Caribbean News
Agriculture Ministry Providing Two Water Trucks to Serve St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine
#Kingston, Jamaica, April 24, 2024 – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining is to unveil two more water trucks this week, which will be used to service communities in St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, made the disclosure during Wednesday’s (April 24) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.
He also informed that of the $90 million earmarked to support farmers being impacted by the current drought, the Ministry will be
providing additional support for storage and drip-irrigation systems.
“So, we have targeted about 600 water tanks and about 400 12-millimetre drip irrigation hoses, and that distribution has already started. Additionally, we have earmarked about $8 million to really help with our livestock farmers,” Mr. Green said.
“We know the difficulty that you’re facing now in this time; [it’s] very hard to get the right nutritional support for your animals. As such, we will be providing some hay, and we will [also] provide some trucking of water to you. Again, our livestock farmers, if you are in need, please contact the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and let us see how we can help in these times,” he further stated.
Mr. Green also encouraged farmers to download the RADA App, so that the Agency can “help guide you, not only in relation to what is happening on the rainfall side, but also in relation to your integrated pest management”.
“We do see some increases of certain types of pests during this time, and it’s important that our farmers are paying attention to that. It’s also important that you’re taking drought management seriously [by undertaking] soil mulching, looking at planting drought-tolerant crops, timely harvesting, implementing land husbandry treatments and contour ditches,” he stated.
Contact: Latonya Linton
Release: JIS
Photo Caption: Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, speaking during Wednesday’s (April 24) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.
Donald De La Haye Photo
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, April 19, 2024 – In an attempt to move to 24-hour-a-day operations Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) is steadily recruiting Air Traffic Controllers to work at the Providenciales/Howard Hamilton International Airport, according to Godfrey Smith, TCIAA CEO, reporting to the Appropriations Committee.
Speaking on April 8th Smith said a cabinet paper would be sent soon requesting six more Air Traffic Controllers to make round the clock operation at the Provo International possible and to open the airport in Grand Turk till 12 a.m.
Currently, 17 posts are filled and seven are vacant.
Smith was candid with his responses to recent industrial action from ATCs which led to resignations and firings.
“What we have to do is find systems to mitigate such actions and that has to start with filling these jobs, putting people in that want to
work and doing right by people – and we always try to do right by our staff. Persons may not think that we are but we always do – we ain’t pick no fight,” he said in the meetings held at the NJS Francis building ahead of the National Budget Communication.
Smith indicated that recruitment was an issue across the board, ‘we need to find ways to recruit a little bit better’ he told the committee. Also in need of a push was capital spending or projects according to the CEO, who said the agency had ‘not been very good’ at meeting that mark but insisted they had recognized the issue and could do better.
A very important key performance indicator drawn up by the TCIAA is increasing passenger satisfaction at the Howard Hamilton International Airport. For the TCIAA part of this means a 30 percent increase in seating by Q2 of this year.
When queried on if they could even handle this increase the CEO said,
“The fact of the matter is we already have the capacity there. What we need is to make the service a bit better.”
Staff shortages have become such a frustrating issue that the TCIAA is instituting a scholarship program created by Authority Chairman, Selvyn Hawkins
“What the board wants to do is basically allocate $25,000 annually for a scholarship and they’ve approved it already.”
This process would cover tuition and all other costs for one student.
The student would return as a summer intern and other breaks to work at the TCIAA and upon graduation, assume a role at the company.
“We identify a particular skill we need, we go after it and we build capacity that is in a nutshell the nexus of the program,” Smith said.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) is allocated $49 million this financial year; over $20 million goes to salaries.
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