The Joint Unions demand GOB tackle price gouging

The unions also discussed the issue of price gouging and what they say is the GOB’s lack of urgency to tackle the issue. PSU President, Dean Flowers, stated that the Minister of Agriculture had promised to implement a Supplies Control Act as well as a ticketing system, both of which are yet to materialize. Flowers says that the lack of manpower at the Supplies Control Unit coupled with inflation has only exacerbated the issue and called on GOB to do more to protect its citizens.

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union: “March 30th of 2022 where the Honorable Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture stated the following “As we speak right now the Attorney General’s office is working on amending the Supplies Control Act. We’re now moving to ticketable offenses. Going to a store and seeing that the merchant is gouging is unacceptable especially in these difficult times. So instead of taking them to court and going through a lengthy process and then two years later the courts rules that will not be the case.” The Honorable Mai went on to say “Our officers will now walk into a store, let me tell you what the offenses are-” and he went on and list the offenses. Almost a year later absolutely nothing from the Ministry of Agriculture in the form of this amended supplies control act from the Honorable Minister or the AG’s ministry. It is time for the lip service to stop where inflation and price gouging and more specifically price gouging is concerned and that the government introduces at it’s next sitting an amendment to that act to address this dire situation.”