THE Regional Democratic Council in collaboration with the Mayor and Town Council are on the verge of reducing the 70% unemployment rate plaguing the region. Councillors and staff of the two entities held a recent meeting at the regional office to discuss ways in which both organisations could build a cohesive relationship to tackle the high unemployment rate of the region. It is the belief of many that the unemployment situation can be deemed responsible for the spiralling crime rate in the region, especially Linden. A reliable source out of the Mackenzie Police Station told this publication that there had been an increase in crime in Wismar communities such as One Mile, Block 22 and Wisrock. Noticeable cases of larceny and robberies had also been reported in Amelia’s Ward for the latter part of 2015. In addition to crime, a nexus had also been created between unemployment and poverty.
Regional Chairman Renis Morian revealed that far too often single unemployed mothers visited his office seeking financial assistance, sometimes for a meal to feed their children. The Plan of Action for Regional Development (PARD) which aims at reducing poverty by creating an environment for sustainable development is a five-year proposal for regional development. Several aspects of the plan will allow for the creation of employment at different levels. This however will take time and therefore the need for employment reduction required urgent attention.
To tackle this social ill, the regional administration has applied to the Public Service Commission to have 28 active vacancies filled at the RDC. Temporarily employed staff has also been made permanent as a means of creating job security. The Regional Chairman will be seeking the involvement of corporate society in the region to fill existing vacancies or to create any possible positions within these organisations. These entities include: Bosai, Rusal, Banks DIH (Linden Branch), Linden Enterprise Network (LEN), insurance companies and timber companies. Correspondences will also be sent to small businesses within the region to open avenues for employment.
The Regional Chairman also recommended that members of the Police Force, Defence Force and Fire Department make presentations to the youths of the region, since many of them are not cognisant of the benefits of joining these organisations. “We have a lot of young people in Linden with nine subjects or more,[but] they don’t have much knowledge as it relates to these schemes, so if we can have these schemes make presentation to our young people, they will know about the good benefits they offer,” he said. He reasoned that this initiative would have a two-fold benefit as the country’s national security would strengthen, the crime rate would be reduced and meaningful employment would be garnered for the young people.
Another avenue of employment being discussed is that of the reinstituting of the toll system for gazzetted roads within Linden. With the re-enactment of this system, the funds could be used for the maintenance of public infrastructure and therefore a maintenance crew could be employed within the municipality.
President David Granger in his feature address at the re-launch of LEN in December 2015, told the residents of Linden that the glory days of bauxite were over and since the present bauxite operation could not sustain the economy of the town, the people should be more prudent and innovative. He encouraged them to get involved in agro processing and other enterprises as a means of decreasing the employment rate. With this in mind, the Regional Administration has been on a drive to assist farmers greatly in being self-employed. Seeds were distributed to the farmers and they have been assisted with transportation from NAREI to have their crops transported to the market. In addition to this, the Regional Chairman is currently in discussion with several investors who have expressed interest in establishing companies in the region. This will assist greatly with the employment of hundreds of residents in Region 10.