Black Immigrant Daily News

See full statement from the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU):

Workers of Uitvlugt Estate this morning (July 12, 2022) staged a picketing exercise outside of the estate calling on the GuySuCo to honour holiday-with-pay (HWP) payments for the first crop 2022. HWP is paid to workers in lieu of annual leave and provided at end of each crop to qualified workers. The 2022 first crop at Uitvlugt was truncated arising from issues within the factory, however, workers continued to work and were qualified to receive their entitlements which is in keeping with the Collective Labour Agreement between GAWU and GuySuCo.

The estate contends that the workers are not entitled to the HWP payments. At the same time, other sections of the employees continue to receive their full annual leave entitlements. For the workers, this is disturbing as they all benefitted similarly from the support of the Government. Previously, the workers indicated that the Management informed them that certain computations were being undertaken towards addressing the payments. Without any forewarning, the Corporation changed its position and only offered HWP to workers engaged in planting tasks.

The workers became more upset after the Corporation’s CEO entered the estate compound without even seeking to ascertain the reason/s for the workers picketing. They said they felt disrespected that the senior-most executive who had previously professed his commitment to the workers could not have even asked of their difficulty.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The Ministry of National Mobilization and Social Development, is hosting a virtual consultation today, to review the draft 2022-2026 Strategy to Combat Violence Against Women and Children.

Understanding that violence against women and children is a social concern to all Vincentians, stakeholders in the community are strongly being encouraged to participate in this process.

The consultations will provide an oversight of the draft strategy and national action plan, the rationale for the development of a multi-layered approach and the activities and reach related to the established goals and objectives.

After a review of the document summary, there will be opportunity for feedback and discussion as the strategy is designed to reflect the concerns and solution-focused activities that exist within the community.

It is hope that stakeholders would choose to be a part of making Saint Vincent and the Grenadines free from all forms of violence against women and children by ensuring that their input and review is part of this process.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The Annual Summer Programme hosted by the Youlou Arts Foundation is set to get underway here next month.

This year the program will run from August 8th -19th for children ages   5 to13 years.

Rawdica Stephen tells us more in today’s Special Report

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/YOULOU-ARTS-SUMMER-REPORT.mp3

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Persons looking to purchase authentic Jamaican-made gifts and souvenir items for the upcoming Yuletide season will, for the first time, have two days to explore the products on display at the annual ‘Christmas in July’ trade show.

The event will be held from July 12-13 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston from 9 am to 5 pm each day.

Director, Tourism Linkages Network, Carolyn McDonald Riley has said year’s staging will feature 180 producers of locally made items in the categories of desktop solutions, aromatherapy, d?cor, fashion and accessories, fine arts, souvenirs, processed foods and products made with organic and natural fibres.

The trade show is being staged under the theme ‘Tropical Wonderland’ and will also celebrate Jamaica 60 through the various items on display.

“It’s going to be a really exciting two days. We will have live streaming on Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) and we will have a number of other media [and] persons on, especially the diaspora. I am looking forward to just another interesting two days,” said McDonald Riley, adding that people may also watch the live stream on the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) social media platforms.

She noted that that there will be an opening ceremony on Day 1, hosted by media personalities Dr Terri-Karelle Reid and Neville Bell, while Miss Kitty and Brithney Clarke will guide the proceedings on Day 2.

McDonald Riley further informed that the public will be allowed inside the venue this year as opposed to the last two years when there were gathering restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She pointed out that persons will be required to wear masks and practise social distancing.

McDonald Riley said that upon entering the venue, persons will receive a buyers’ toolkit or ‘passport’, which they will use to “navigate the space and find persons, in terms of what is being displayed”.

The passport will include the name and contact number of all the suppliers participating in the trade show, so that patrons can follow up after the event.

Christmas in July is a collaborative effort of the Tourism Linkages Network and its partners, Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association (JMEA), Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).

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