NiCE worker numbers fall to lowest level

| 06/12/2018 | 19 Comments
Cayman News Service

NiCE workers beautify the yard of a house in Central George Town as part of the Christmas clean-up

(CNS): Government officials have reported that just 343 people out of over 500 unemployed workers who registered to take part in government’s Christmas clean-up are currently on the job. The National Community Enhancement (NiCE) winter project, which started last month, has the lowest level of participation since the project began under the UDP administration back in 2009. Those registered for the project that are sticking with the job will get three weeks of work, ending on Friday, 14 December. 

NiCE Project Manager Levi Allen, from the Public Works Department, said the numbers are significantly less than enrolled on either of the last two winter initiatives. Participation rates are expected to be 502 people by the end of the project, which is in stark contrast to previous years, when the Christmas clean-ups attracted many more out of work people than the government had budgeted to employ.

Workers on the project are paid $10 per hour, with foremen receiving $12, and all workers will be paid before Christmas, government officials have confirmed.

During the three-week programme they are expected to spruce up the island ahead of the holidays. As well as clearing beach access points and performing maintenance and repairs, beautification duties include clearing litter, cutting back overgrowth, cleaning up cemeteries, repainting road markings, tidying road verges and working at the George Town landfill.

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Comments (19)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Moral of this story: grow the economy, create jobs (including iguana culling) and people who want to work will work.

    Stop creating useless Civil Service bureaucracy like the new WORCS agency filled mostly with useless people from other government agencies where they did not work.

  2. Anonymous says:

    4:52am but it is not for free. Fifty dollars a week understood now.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Shhhh. Working is hard.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    Because fifty dollars a week is taken from their pay without theirr consent for food and a soda. And most of the time they can’t eat the food. Because the food is slopped-up, slapped-in a plate and served too them like if they are beggers or dogs. And the food don’t have any taste and they can’t eat it. Most of the time they don’t receive a drink with their food. If they receive water they have to wait long periods of time for it. Like they are begging and when they do get it the supply will finish fast and they have to beg and wait long periods for more water. NRA treats their NICE programme workers the best no begging nice treatment. Deh and PWD is just a like and the worst. Both workplaces have the same person for a manager that person were recently seconded to Deh and that person is a West Bayer and makes West Bayers look bad.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Okay lets do the math- You have to work one hour with NiCE to make $10.00 when in one hour you can cull around 10-15 Iguanas at $5.00 per Iguana this works back to $50.00 to $75.00 per hour

    Not a bad pay day. Why work with NiCE go catch Iguana’s

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  6. Anonymous says:

    another story that exposes the myth of caymanian unemployment

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  7. Anonymous says:

    No need to work for NiCE — Every one catching Iguana’s and making more money.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Whatever the reason, I will say this year, I don’t see them sitting around. Everyone seems to be working and if anyone has noticed, there are mostly woman!!!

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  8. Anonymous says:

    Maybe we should look into why some didnt show up. Maybe they have found another job or possibly do not fit the “unemployed” definition

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Probably out culling iguanas..?

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  10. Mikey says:

    Green Iguana Cull bigger money perhaps or just 157 lazy people

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