Caribbean News
Compensation closer for Windrush Generation, Caribbean leaders pleased with lead lawyer
#London, United Kingdom, Friday March 11, 2018 – Group compensation is the leading plan to make up for the agonizing experiences of those negatively impacted by the now infamous Windrush scandal; it wrongly targeted and essentially punished long-time residents of Great Britain, who were invited and migrated to the country since 1948. 
A policy decision by Prime Minister Theresa May, who at the time was Home Secretary was meant to strongly discourage illegal migration, but it morphed into something painful and activated a chain of events which has brought scathing criticism for both her and the UK, once it targeted this migrant group.
The stripping of legal rights of the thousands of Caribbean Commonwealth country migrants has ignited a firestorm of controversy because these people who come from the Caribbean region and who thought they were legally in the United Kingdom, were unable to meet new criteria and were subject to humiliating and harsh treatment. 
Reports in recent months unearthed that the Windrush Generation migrants’ inability to present documents of legal status in the UK led to many being “forced out of work, in some cases for years, and unable to claim welfare support, as well as individuals wrongfully detained and in some cases deported.”
On Thursday, 12 Caribbean Commonwealth country leaders met in London and arising from that, one-hour, high level caucus was the announcement of an appointment which is meant to get the ball rolling on compensation to the so called, Windrush Generation.
A statement from the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid on Thursday explained: The government has called for Windrush citizens and their families to come forward with their personal stories as it draws up details of a potentially costly compensation scheme for those wrongly targeted over their immigration status. 
The man, who was hand-picked for the job is already receiving favorable reviews from the country leaders a part of that meeting, it is said. Martin Forde QC, is the son of Windrush parents and he will oversee the design of the compensation scheme.
There is looming concern though, as with the announcement of Forde talking on the cases, there was no reveal on how many Commonwealth citizens may be involved or considered sorely impacted by the Windrush scandal or how much it could end up costing the UK.
In his written statement, Home Secretary, Sajid Javid said: “To put things right we need to understand more about what happened, to understand the personal stories, which will help to inform the design of the compensation scheme.”
But the shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, believes the process is slow going.
“The government is only now opening consultations on compensation for victims of the Windrush scandal. This should have begun when ministers first became aware of the situation, and they have fallen short of their promise to deal with compensation within two weeks.
People are desperate now, some of them destitute or homeless as a result of this government’s policies. The government should be announcing what immediate action it will take to help victims and give full compensation for the losses experienced by the Windrush generation.”
As reported in The Guardian.
A new Home Office team has been created to focus strictly on Windrush, migrants and their children who were invited by the British to the UK back in the 1940s. 
The first group of Commonwealth migrants arrived on the MV Empire Windrush in June 1948 to help in rebuilding Great Britain following World War II. It is said that some 50,000 people are affected and face deportation because they never formalised their legal status.
Just this past April, it was revealed that the landing cards to firmly verify or prove who was on board the MV Empire Windrush were destroyed in 2010, under Theresa May, then the Home Secretary.
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KINGSTON, May 9 (JIS):
The Government continues to reinvest earnings from the bauxite industry into communities impacted by mining, says Director of Bauxite Lands at the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI), Kemoy Lindsay.
He said that through the Bauxite Community Development Programme (BCDP), established in 1996, funding and technical support are being provided for the development of sustainable initiatives in mining areas.
“Infrastructure, healthcare, road repairs, skills training and all facets of social development are taken care of. Since 1996, the JBI, through the BCDP has implemented over 350 projects totalling close to one billion dollars, representing bauxite money being directly rechannelled into the communities. And, over the 28 years, we have impacted more than half a million residents in bauxite communities,” Mr. Lindsay informed.
He was addressing a National Minerals Week Mining/Minerals Sector Conference at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in Mandeville on May 6.
Agriculture, which is the mainstay in most of the communities, has received the largest portion of the support.
Since the BCDP’s inception, the funding injected into farming has increased by seven to 10 per cent.
In Manchester, the projects undertaken include the construction of two classrooms at Kendal All-Age, expansion of the New Green Basic School, building of a computer lab and art block at Winston Jones High School, electricity expansion in 10 communities, while 1,500 poultry farmers and 5,000 small farmers have received assistance.
“We funded the renovation and reopening of the Broadleaf Health Centre, construction of 60 greenhouses and in partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), the JBI will be one of the largest facilitators of greenhouse technology, not just in Jamaica but in the English-speaking Caribbean,” Mr. Lindsay said.
He further cited support for skills training programmes, construction of post offices at Kendal and Harmons and the provision of millions of dollars in scholarships for students.
Mr. Lindsay said there is close collaboration with residents to ensure that projects being undertaken will provide them with tangible long-term social and economic benefits.
He noted that there is also direct and constant trilateral dialogue involving the mining companies, the communities and the relevant government agencies.
“Gone are the days when… community members felt that their concerns were not being heard. We have successfully created bauxite community councils to bridge that gap and provide a forum for the dissemination and discussion of issues,” he said.
“This ensures that business continues in a way that is sensitive to the needs of the community,” he added, noting that there are 14 active councils across the five bauxite mining parishes of Manchester, Clarendon, St. Elizabeth, St. Ann, and St. Catherine.
The aim is to ensure that every community impacted by bauxite mining has a forum to have their concerns heard and needs discussed in a structured way.
CONTACT: BARBARA ELLINGTON
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