BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH mounting concerns being raised over the delay in the processing of applications by relatives of deceased sugar workers, Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris has cleared the air on the matter.
Dr. Harris declared that the problems surrounding the delay are with the court and those who have the legal responsibility to claim on behalf of deceased relatives at the Sugar Workers Restoration Fund.
Established in 2015, the Fund sought to pay former sugar workers who received little or no gratuitous monies when the industry closed several years ago.
The Team Unity Administration approached Venezuela under the PetroCaribe Qgreement to fund the payment, which resulted in a EC$16M grant by the Government of the Spanish-speaking country.
According to PM. Harris, his administration was advised that they ought not to make anymore payments to relatives until the matter is resolved by the court.
He disclosed that the Government could be held liable if proceedings are not passed through the court.
“One of the things we recognized was that the amounts that were being paid was significantly below what was considered a small estate, and so we went to Parliament and we changed the law to increase what is considered an appropriate value,” Dr. Harris said.
Further, the Prime Minister noted that “because it is a small estate, it is easier to go through the judicial process” while a large estate is considered “more cumbersome”.
In relation to numbers, he disclosed that there were some 500 applications made for payment and that 100 of them had received $1M.
“Plus, persons have claimed monies totalling over $1 million, and we have in the court about another 150 that are awaiting the signature of the judge. And that is a further plus $1 million that are being pending.”
Dr. Harris revealed that the Government has secured the service of four lawyers to assist the claimants to have their documentation completed in the appropriate manner.
He suggested that with the process being delayed in the court, “perhaps there is another step that we can take to bring more expedition to the judicial mechanism in relation to that”.
