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Benjamin: Local Workers Must Rise to Management Roles
Labour Minister Sir Steadroy Benjamin has issued a call for greater investment in the development of Antiguans and Barbudans to ensure they take up leadership roles in the country’s key industries.
Speaking during a Labour Day interview on ABS, Sir Steadroy stressed that while locals have long formed the backbone of Antigua and Barbuda’s economy, too few have risen to senior management positions in sectors such as tourism, banking, and construction.
“I am longing for the day when Antiguans and Barbudans will enjoy the benefits of management positions in these institutions,” he said. “We must qualify our people to run this country and enjoy the fruits of what we fought so long and hard for.”
The minister linked his appeal to the legacy of labour pioneers like Sir Vere Cornwall Bird and George Walter, asserting that the struggles of earlier generations must translate into economic opportunity and leadership for the nation’s citizens today.
He emphasised the need for focused education and training programmes to prepare locals for roles such as managers, assistant managers, and accountants. “Antigua is for Antiguans,” he said, reiterating that the country’s development efforts, including land acquisition and industry growth, must benefit its people.
Sir Steadroy’s comments come as part of a broader push by the government to update the Labour Code, review wage policies, and modernise labour laws to better reflect the country’s evolving economy and workforce.
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There are many qualified Antiguans and Barbudans already in the labor force. The challenge is not being qualified but being suitably identified and positioned. In most instances these persons return from college/university and are underemployed. From there it is a long grind with a lot of mistreatment and malignment to even get a decent salary or fair shot. Eventually many of them resign themselves to lower level positions or simply leave. Skills and Talent matching is the key issue and not being qualified from my vantage point. From there giving everyone a fair shot to apply or to be picked would make more sense. Perhaps we need to move away from human picking and identify a more intelligent and objective way to match skills needed in these organisations with the talent on the ground.
Blah blah blah: especially in hotels, only to be overworked and underpaid, while expats getting all the sweets.
@looking forward.
It’s the old mediacroty system still in place. Where you come from, or who you know,but not what you know.
Old old system. Similar to the good ole boys club. I see it all the time when I land at VC bird. People who doesn’t have a clue what they are doing, but are in important positions to make critical decisions that will impact people’s life.
Sad.