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  • State: No exceptional circumstances to justify blocking Parris trial

    State: No exceptional circumstances to justify blocking Parris trial

    A major legal battle over the long-running criminal case against former CLICO Life Insurance Company chairman Leroy Parris has advanced to the appellate courts, as state representatives are pushing aggressively to reverse a lower court ruling that halted all prosecution proceedings against the ex-executive.

    On Wednesday, Deputy Solicitor General Marsha Lougheed officially filed an appeal challenge with the Court of Appeal, requesting the appellate panel overturn a permanent injunction that bars the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) from moving forward with criminal charges of theft and conspiracy against Parris. The three appellants in the new challenge are Magistrate Manila Renee, the Attorney General, and the DPP, represented by Senior Counsel Roger Forde.

    In court documents filed as part of the appeal, Forde laid out the state’s core legal argument: long-standing case law confirms that a DPP cannot be blocked from initiating or proceeding with criminal prosecution against any individual unless concrete evidence of bad faith (mala fides) on the prosecution’s part, or truly exceptional circumstances, can be proven. Forde emphasized that the affidavit evidence Parris submitted in earlier court proceedings fails to demonstrate either mala fides or any qualifying exceptional circumstances that would justify halting the case.

    Forde further argued that the lower court judge made multiple errors of law in her original ruling. He pointed out that there was no admissible evidence to support the finding that Parris held a valid cause of action against the DPP that warranted granting the protective injunction. He also noted that no evidence was presented to back up a ruling that Parris held a constitutional right to avoid prosecution on the outstanding criminal charges, and that no legal precedent or evidence supports the conclusion that Parris is entitled to an injunction blocking the prosecution’s work.

    The legal dispute traces back to last month, when High Court Justice Michelle Weekes ruled in favor of Parris’ judicial review application, quashing Magistrate Renee’s earlier decision to commit Parris to stand trial via an order of certiorari. Beyond nullifying the committal, Weekes also ordered Magistrate Renee not to share any case documents with the DPP or the Supreme Court registrar, and granted the permanent injunction that prevents the DPP from moving forward with an indictment against Parris.

    The roots of the case stretch back more than a decade. In 2023, Magistrate Renee moved forward to send the case, which centers on allegations that Parris stole $3.3 million from the now-defunct insurance firm, to the High Court for trial. Parris’ legal team, led by Senior Counsel Hal Gollop and Neil Marshall, responded by filing the judicial review challenge that resulted in last month’s favorable ruling for their client, and placed Renee, the Attorney General, and the DPP as respondents in that original challenge.

    Prosecutors first brought formal charges against Parris back in 2012. The multi-count indictment accuses him of stealing $3.33 million from CLICO International Life Insurance Limited between December 1, 2008 and April 27, 2009, and conspiring to defraud the company by inducing it to transfer the funds to law firm Thompson and Associates. Additional charges allege that between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2010, Parris participated in a conspiracy to cheat the Commissioner of Inland Revenue by failing to file required tax returns and report 2009 taxable income, and that he engaged in money laundering activities involving the $3.3 million between December 2008 and April 2009.

  • Should The Abortion Option Be Available for Pregnant Teenagers?

    Should The Abortion Option Be Available for Pregnant Teenagers?

    As Belize marks its annual Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Week, a long-simmering ethical and policy debate over abortion access for pregnant adolescents facing unplanned pregnancy has reemerged, splitting public conversation over how the nation should address its youth reproductive health challenges. Advocates for expanding adolescent access to abortion argue that unplanned pregnancy upends the lives of young people, forcing many to end their education prematurely, confront crippling financial instability, and carry long-term social and psychological burdens that can follow them for decades. These proponents argue that denying abortion traps young people in circumstances beyond their ability to manage, calling for a re-examination of the country’s restrictive existing laws.

    But top health officials in Belize have emphasized that current national legislation leaves no room for abortion access solely on the basis of adolescent age. Dr. Natalia Beer, a technical advisor with Belize’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, clarified that the nation’s criminal code only permits legal medical termination of pregnancy in narrow circumstances, specifically when the pregnancy poses severe negative impacts to the pregnant person’s family. Adolescent pregnancy alone, she stressed, does not meet the legal threshold for a permitted abortion.

    Instead of expanding abortion access, Dr. Beer argues, public health resources should be directed toward proactive prevention strategies that reduce rates of unplanned pregnancy among young people in the first place. “Abortion can occur at any age, and adolescents are not exempt from that reality,” Dr. Beer noted in comments during the prevention week observance. “But no young person should ever need to resort to abortion if they have accurate information to make informed decisions about protecting themselves from unplanned pregnancy, and if they have unimpeded access to critical reproductive health services, especially contraception.”

    Global and national data underscores the urgency of addressing adolescent pregnancy in Belize, though official figures from different agencies vary. Worldwide, the adolescent birth rate stands at 44 births per 100,000 girls of reproductive age. The Statistical Institute of Belize’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) puts the country’s adolescent birth rate at 58 per 100,000, while data from the Ministry of Health and Wellness records a lower rate of 38.8 per 100,000. Discrepancies aside, both figures confirm that adolescent pregnancy remains a persistent public health priority for the Central American nation, as policymakers and public health leaders work to lower rates and support young people facing unplanned pregnancy.

  • Belize Joins Regional Fight Against Teen Pregnancy

    Belize Joins Regional Fight Against Teen Pregnancy

    Scheduled for observance in October 2026, Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Week has brought Belize into a coordinated regional movement aimed at empowering young people to overcome systemic and personal barriers and build more stable, promising futures. At the core of this campaign is the simple but powerful message: a single life choice can shape long-term life trajectories.

    Public health leaders in Belize emphasize that adolescent pregnancy extends far beyond individual and family disruption, creating ripple effects that undermine national progress. It correlates with lower educational attainment, reduced long-term employment prospects, and slowed socioeconomic development across the country. Through targeted public awareness campaigns, expanded access to evidence-based information, and strengthened links between young people and essential health services and community support systems, Belize is aligning its local action with global development goals that aim to improve public health outcomes and expand equitable opportunity for youth by 2030.

    Dr. Natalia Beer, Maternal and Child Health Technical Advisor at Belize’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, outlined the multifaceted case for proactive prevention in comments shared during the campaign launch. “Adolescence should finish at twenty-five years, not at nineteen, for many biological reasons. Studies that have been done on the brain demonstrating that by twenty you are still not able to make the best decisions for our lives. So definitely consequences are multidimensional. You lose educational years. There are health consequences, economic consequences that effect even the country and one thing we barely speak about is violence. Girls engaging in formal relationships early because they are still children, by definition. They are exposed to all forms of violence.”

    Dr. Beer stressed that existing community infrastructure does not need to be rebuilt from scratch to address the issue. Instead, all established community groups and institutions should integrate adolescent-focused sexual health information and services into their existing offerings. For young people who are already sexually active, Dr. Beer emphasized that families and communities have a critical role to play in ensuring unimpeded access to contraception to prevent unintended and unplanned pregnancies.

    “Adolescents need to focus on themselves, reach their educational goals, enjoy their lives before assuming adult responsibilities. Even sexual intercourse is an adult responsibility, much more having a child. No child should be having a child,” Dr. Beer said. She further recommends that women wait until the age of 30 to have their first child, to support better long-term health and socioeconomic outcomes for both parent and child.

    This report is a transcript of an evening television broadcast, with Kriol language comments transcribed using a standard spelling system for accessibility.

  • NTRC’s request for documents from Star FM began when ULP was still in office

    NTRC’s request for documents from Star FM began when ULP was still in office

    A sharp public dispute over the regulatory status of Unity Labour Party-owned Star FM has erupted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, after the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) released a detailed chronology of events that directly contradicts opposition claims the new governing administration is targeting the broadcaster to silence it.

    Former opposition MP and ex-information minister Camillo Gonsalves, who leads the Unity Labour Party (ULP), ignited the controversy in comments delivered on Star FM October 12, 2026. Gonsalves framed the NTRC’s recent cease-transmission order as an unlawful, politically motivated attack by the newly elected New Democratic Party (NDP) administration, which won office in November 2025. The lawyer and former lawmaker claimed the regulator had imposed extra-legal requirements on the station to block its licence renewal, and warned the move threatened freedom of expression. He said the ULP was prepared to sue over the issue, while also calling for a de-escalation to avoid a damaging public legal battle.

    But NTRC Director Apollo Knights pushed back against these claims in an official press release, publishing a full timeline of the licence renewal process that places the initial documentation request squarely during the period when the ULP was still in power, and when Gonsalves himself oversaw the NTRC as minister of information.

    According to Knights’ account, regulatory protocols require all FM radio licensees to submit renewal applications one year before their existing licences expire, with licences issued for five-year terms. Star FM’s previous licence was granted April 15, 2021, and was scheduled to expire April 14, 2026. The NTRC first sent the station a renewal request, including a requirement to submit a valid certificate of status from the Commercial and Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), all the way back on February 14, 2025 – when the ULP still held full control of government. Follow-up reminders were sent May 29 and October 31 of that same year, still months before the NDP’s election win.

    Star FM ultimately submitted its renewal application November 13, 2025. Just eight days later, on November 21, 2025, the NTRC – still governed by commissioners appointed entirely by the ULP, who remained in post through the end of December 2025 – requested an updated certificate of status, because the document the station had submitted fell outside the required six-month validity window.

    When Star FM finally provided an updated certificate February 12, 2026, it confirmed the station was not in good standing with CIPO, a mandatory requirement for all licence renewals regardless of ownership or political affiliation. The NTRC notified the station of the issue March 20, 2026, and sent three additional follow-up letters between April and June of that year. After Star FM’s original licence expired April 14, 2026, the regulator granted the station four separate extensions between May and October 2026 to resolve its outstanding status issues with CIPO, allowing it to continue broadcasting for nearly six months past the licence expiry date.

    The controversy became public after a letter Knights sent October 8, 2026 to Julian Francis, secretary of Star Broadcasting Corporation Ltd., was leaked to the public. In that letter, Knights informed the station that it currently held no valid broadcast licence or frequency authorization, and was required to immediately cease transmission on its 98.3MHz and 104.7MHz frequencies until the required documentation was submitted and approved by the minister responsible for telecommunications. Knights stressed that Star FM can resume broadcasting as soon as it resolves its CIPO standing and the minister issues a new licence.

    Telecommunications Minister Phillip Jackson, a member of the ruling NDP, dismissed all claims of political interference, framing the entire exchange as routine regulatory work. Jackson told listeners on the NDP’s own *New Times* programme on NICE Radio that the leaked letter was just the latest in a long chain of routine correspondence between the regulator and the regulated entity, noting the station had been notified of the renewal requirement as early as 2025 and received repeated reminders. He argued all broadcasting entities must be held to the same consistent standards under the law, rejecting accusations the administration was seeking to silence the ULP-owned station. He described NTRC staff as competent professionals, and said he was confident Star FM would meet the required requirements to have its licence renewed. Jackson confirmed the station had been operating without a valid licence for six months after its original expiry.

    Gonsalves offered a competing narrative, however, claiming the station submitted its renewal application before the deadline, paid all required fees, and provided every document the NTRC requested – even materials that he argues the regulator had no legal right to demand. He said the regulator first asked for a certificate of status, then suddenly upped the requirement to a certificate of good standing, applying rules that do not exist in the current legislation or standard licence conditions. He also disputed claims the station was operating illegally, noting longstanding NTRC practice has allowed broadcasters to continue operating while renewal applications are pending, even if processing extends past the original licence expiry date. Gonsalves called the cease-and-desist order unlawful, arguing the NTRC could not issue such an order without completing a formal investigation, notifying the station of specific violations, and proving continued transmission poses serious public harm. He also noted that only the minister has the legal authority to deny a renewal, following statutorily defined process.

    The former MP also raised questions about potential institutional bias, pointing out that NTRC Chair Benjamin Exeter previously ran as an NDP candidate in the 2015 and 2020 general elections, when Star FM openly criticized and mocked his candidacy. Gonsalves stopped short of claiming bias was proven, but said the connection demands public scrutiny.

    Interestingly, both Gonsalves and Jackson publicly praised NTRC Director Apollo Knights’ leadership. Jackson acknowledged he had not been involved in the day-to-day correspondence between the regulator and the station, only becoming aware of the matter when it took on political overtones. While Gonsalves said the ULP was prepared to file legal action, he also called for de-escalation, warning a prolonged, high-profile dispute could harm St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ international reputation and fuel unwarranted concerns about press freedom. He urged the NTRC to ease tensions and resolve the standing issue through dialogue rather than confrontation.

  • Third Culture Fund Cycle Brings Belizean Visions to Life

    Third Culture Fund Cycle Brings Belizean Visions to Life

    On October 14, 2026, a landmark grant celebration was held at Belize’s Government House, where 24 local cultural projects officially received funding from the third cycle of the Belize Culture Fund, turning creative and heritage-focused visions into actionable, on-the-ground work.

    Originally, the fund launched with a total pool of 30,000 Belize dollars, allocated from the Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), with plans to support just 9 projects. However, the initiative received more than 50 high-quality applications from communities across the country – a response that institute leaders called a clear signal of the abundant creativity, ambition, and unmet demand for cultural support across Belize.

    Following approval from NICH’s president and the Minister of Culture, the fund was restructured to expand support, tripling the number of funded projects from the original plan to 24. Rolando Cocom, director of the Institute of Social & Cultural Research, one of NICH’s four core divisions, emphasized the institute’s long-standing commitment to advancing and protecting Belize’s rich, diverse cultural heritage.

    The funded projects align with NICH’s four core program areas, each overseen by a different institute branch: digital archaeology (led by the Institute of Archaeology), digital creative arts (led by the Institute of Creative Arts), conservation of vulnerable living heritage (led by the Institute of Social and Cultural Research), and revitalization of museum and cultural center programming (led by the Museum of Belize and Houses of Culture). Each of the four large institutional projects aligned with these core areas will receive 5,000 Belize dollars. An additional 20 smaller community-led dynamic projects will each receive 2,000 Belize dollars, expanding the fund’s reach to grassroots initiatives across the country.

    With grants distributed at the Government House ceremony, work is now set to begin. Recipients will develop their projects with the goal of creating long-lasting cultural impact, protecting Belize’s living traditions, lifting up emerging creative talent, and sharing Belizean stories with global audiences.

  • St Peter woman remanded on murder charge

    St Peter woman remanded on murder charge

    A fatal weekend incident in Barbados has led to a young woman being placed behind bars ahead of her upcoming trial, according to official court proceedings. Kaena Luenda O’Garro, a 22-year-old resident of the Rose Hill neighborhood of St Peter, made her first court appearance on Wednesday in connection with the death of 31-year-old Mesha Pierre, who previously resided in Sugar Hill, St Joseph. O’Garro faces a serious indictable charge of first-degree murder in connection with the killing that took place on Saturday, October 10.

    The arraignment was held at the Holetown Magistrates’ Court, where legal protocol does not require the accused to enter a formal plea at this early stage of the indictable offense process. O’Garro is represented by experienced legal counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens, who holds the rank of Senior Counsel. Following the brief hearing, Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant ruled that the defendant would be held in on-remand detention at a state prison facility. She is scheduled to next appear in court for a procedural hearing on November 9, as the legal process around the homicide case moves forward.

  • Island Appetite Overwhelms Chon Saan Kitchen

    Island Appetite Overwhelms Chon Saan Kitchen

    For decades, diehard fans of Chon Saan Palace on the island of San Pedro, Belize, have gone to extraordinary lengths to get their hands on the restaurant’s signature fusion cuisine. Many would coordinate with friends or family in Belize City to place large orders, then ship the prepared meals via commercial flight across the Caribbean Sea to the island, where hungry families would wait to dig into their favorite dishes. That all changed in October 2026, when the beloved half-century-old restaurant opened its first permanent San Pedro location — and the island’s appetite immediately overwhelmed the new kitchen.

    Founded in 1974 by Armando Chang, a Chinese immigrant who moved to Belize in 1961, Chon Saan Palace has grown from a single Freetown Road location in Belize City into a regional institution. Over five decades, the family-run business has refined a unique blend of traditional Chinese cooking techniques and local Belizean flavors and ingredients, earning a loyal customer base that stretches across the entire country. Long before the restaurant opened a San Pedro outpost, fans on the island had already cemented Chon Saan Palace as their go-to favorite, going to great lengths to bring the restaurant’s food to their dinner tables.

    Jorge Aldana, a long-time customer who has relied on air-shipped orders for years, says the opening of a local location eliminates the hassle of coordinating cross-water deliveries. “I’ve always liked dining at Chon Saan when I’m in Belize City,” Aldana explained. “Before this, what we used to do is have a contact in the city order for us, then put the order on a plane when we wanted to eat. That’s how we did it for years.”

    When a retail space became available on San Pedro, owner Lee Mark Chang — the founder’s successor — jumped at the chance to serve the restaurant’s already established island customer base directly. The team planned a low-key soft opening to work out operational kinks before a full public launch, but word of the new location spread quickly, and customers flooded in from opening day.

    The overwhelming turnout left the kitchen scrambling to keep up with demand. Lines stretched out the door, orders piled up faster than the kitchen could prepare them, and even extra staff flown in from the Belize City location couldn’t eliminate extended wait times. Despite the delays, many customers viewed the wait as a minor tradeoff after years of jumping through logistical hoops to get Chon Saan’s food.

    Melani Paz, a long-time customer of the original Belize City location who brought her family to the opening day, noted that the overwhelming demand was a good sign for the new restaurant. “The food did take a little longer than expected, but I can understand that,” Paz said. “It was supposed to be a soft opening, and I don’t think Lee Mark expected this many people on the first day.”

    Chang acknowledged that the extended waits left some customers frustrated, and offered a public apology while noting that the opening-day rush was ultimately a positive problem to have. “I wanted a soft opening, but I got bomb-rushed,” Chang shared. “Good bomb-rush, it’s a good thing. But like every new business, there’s some tweaking we need to do. We’re adjusting our operations right now, and we’ll get better. This is just the first couple of days as we work out the kinks.”

    For San Pedro residents, the opening marks the end of a years-long wait for local access to one of Belize’s most beloved restaurants. No longer do island customers need to coordinate cross-sea deliveries, board planes to Belize City, or beg visiting friends to bring back their favorite dishes. The overwhelmingly positive response to the new opening confirms what Chon Saan’s leadership already suspected: San Pedro’s love for this iconic Belizean brand is more than strong enough to support its own permanent location. After decades of waiting, San Pedro can finally enjoy Chon Saan Palace’s famous fusion cuisine without the extra logistics and long wait for a meal that once had to travel by air to reach the island.

  • Boat captain operated with expired licence, inquiry hears

    Boat captain operated with expired licence, inquiry hears

    The opening day of a public inquiry into a deadly boat collision that left four people dead and multiple others injured in Anse Cochon has seen the captain of the vessel Cazorla Jr admit he operated the boat while knowing his official boatmaster’s license had expired years prior.

    Tuesday marked the first session of public hearings for the incident that occurred on July 18, with captain Tyson Hippolyte taking the stand to deliver testimony under questioning from the inquiry commission. Hippolyte walked the commission through his timeline that day, explaining he had departed from Soufrière for Gros Islet at roughly 3 p.m., before beginning the return trip to Soufrière just after 10 p.m.

    When Hippolyte confirmed he held a boatmaster license, Commission Chairman — retired Justice Mario Michel — began asking about the document’s validity. Before Michel could finish his question, Hippolyte interjected, conceding he had not checked the expiration date of his license in a very long time. When Michel directly asked if the license had expired on July 18, 2015 — years before the fatal collision — Hippolyte claimed he did not know. Commission members then presented Hippolyte with an official copy of the license, proving it had indeed expired long before he took the helm of Cazorla Jr.

    Hippolyte told the commission he had not paid attention to the expiration date because he did not operate vessels regularly. He added that he had only captained Cazorla Jr three or four times before the deadly collision.

    In further damaging testimony, Hippolyte also openly admitted that he had consumed three to four beers before he left Gros Islet to begin the return voyage. When asked why he felt confident operating the boat that night despite the unfavorable sea conditions and his unlicensed status, Hippolyte responded in Kwéyòl that his years of experience made him comfortable to sail.

  • Herinrichting Domineestraat medio november afgerond

    Herinrichting Domineestraat medio november afgerond

    A major infrastructure redevelopment project on Suriname’s Domineestraat, stretching between Neumanpad and Steenbakkerijstraat, is progressing according to schedule and is set to wrap up by mid-November, local public works officials have confirmed.

    Launched on August 3, the overhaul project has now entered its final phase of construction. Work on the northern section of the street’s sidewalk has already been fully completed, while the southern sidewalk is between 60 and 70 percent finished, according to project updates. Vikash Moenna, deputy director of Dry Civil Engineering at Suriname’s Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning (OWRO), shared that sidewalk paving works are on track to be finished by the end of October, at the latest by the first week of November. The first preliminary layer of asphalt was laid down as early as the third week of August, months ahead of the final completion timeline. Once all sidewalk paving is finalized, crews will apply the permanent top layer of asphalt, followed by installation of new road markings and traffic signage to wrap up the project.

    Monna emphasized that the full redevelopment was a critical necessity for the area. The old road surface had deteriorated severely over time, causing worsening damage to both the roadway and adjacent sidewalks, while also creating persistent failures in the existing sewage drainage network. As part of the overhaul, construction teams have fully removed the old asphalt layer and outdated sewage system, replaced it with a brand-new drainage network, rebuilt the road’s foundational base, laid the preliminary asphalt layer, and carried out new sidewalk paving work.

    Like all active road construction projects, the Domineestraat overhaul has caused some temporary disruption to local businesses operating along the route. However, Moenna noted that local entrepreneurs have been understanding of the work, recognizing that the finished upgrade will ultimately improve access to the area and boost the overall local environment, which will benefit their operations long-term. To minimize disruption and keep traffic moving safely throughout construction, the ministry has placed temporary traffic signage along the route, and implemented dedicated accommodations to keep pedestrian access to sidewalks open for local residents and visitors.

    Following the completion of sidewalk paving, the project team will lay the second and final asphalt top layer, then add new road markings and all remaining traffic infrastructure. “After we finish the top asphalt layer, we will move forward with installing traffic infrastructure, road markings, and signage, after which we will carry out the first handover of the project,” Moenna explained. If construction continues to stay on its current schedule, the fully upgraded stretch of Domineestraat will be ready for its first official handover to the government by mid-November.

  • Consultants to review union concerns over public service job evaluation

    Consultants to review union concerns over public service job evaluation

    A long-awaited public sector job evaluation in Barbados is getting a second look after the country’s largest public service advocacy group raised formal red flags over inconsistencies in the process. Barbados TODAY has confirmed that independent advisors contracted by the government have agreed to revisit disputed sections of the final Jobs Evaluation Report, following a proactive meeting between leaders of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and senior officials from the Ministry of the Public Service held earlier this week.

    NUPW General Secretary Richard Green told reporters that the union initiated the meeting after compiling feedback from its 20,000-plus members across government departments and state-owned enterprises, who reported irregularities in how their positions were scored and categorized. “Based on the firsthand accounts from our members and our own observations of how the evaluation exercise played out, we identified a number of pressing issues that needed to be raised to authorities,” Green explained in an interview after the meeting.

    Among the core concerns the union presented were widespread inconsistencies in the application of scoring criteria, as well as multiple cases where positions were incorrectly categorized as red-circled rather than green-circled, a classification that can impact compensation and career progression for public workers. Green emphasized that the union has called for targeted adjustments to correct these misclassifications and scoring errors.

    Following productive talks, both sides have agreed to next steps: government-hired consultants will conduct a full re-examination of the disputed positions, while the union will complete its own internal review of the contested roles to refine its concerns. Green declined to share details on the specific roles under review, noting that the union is committed to giving independent consultants adequate time and space to address the issues before making further disclosures.

    Green stressed that the entire process remains active and ongoing, and the NUPW moved quickly to flag concerns in the earliest stages to protect the interests of its membership. “We proactively called for this meeting because our priority is getting this right for the workers we represent,” he said. “We are moving as swiftly as possible through every step, and we stand ready to move forward as soon as the consultants complete their review.”

    The next major milestone for the union will be a general meeting with its wider membership, where leaders will walk through the union’s initial findings, answer questions for workers, and collect additional on-the-ground feedback about how the evaluation has impacted their roles. While Green declined to set a rigid deadline for completion of the full review, he confirmed the union is targeting a final resolution before the end of the calendar year.

    This marks the first comprehensive public sector job evaluation conducted in Barbados in two decades, a process designed to update compensation and role classifications to reflect changes in the labor market. Green noted that the core goal of the evaluation is to align public sector pay with current market rates, account for evolving skill requirements for modern public service roles, and improve overall efficiency of government operations while ensuring workers receive fair compensation for their contributions. The NUPW’s intervention comes as it works to ensure this decades-overdue reform delivers on that promise for all public workers.