Grenada apologises to Cayman Islands over employment statement

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC) — The Grenada government Friday apologised and rescinded a statement in which it said that nationals who wanted to work in the Cayman Islands could travel with the Premier of that British Overseas Territory, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, on July 16.

The Government Information Service (GIS) had on Thursday reported that“in a show of solidarity to the government and people of Grenada, the premier is extending an invitation to Grenadians who wish to work in the Cayman Islands, to return with her on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.”

It said “applicants are required to submit the following through email [email protected] and a curriculum vitae, highlighting the area of work they are most interested in.”

“Applicants must be in possession of a valid passport, must be eighteen years or older, and be ready to travel on Tuesday, July 16, 2024,” GIS said, adding that the deadline for receiving applications is Sunday, July 14, 2024.

But in a statement on Friday, the Office of the Prime Minister of Grenada apologised to the Office of the Premier of the Cayman Islands and renounced and retracted the GIS press release.

It said that “no such offer was made during the courtesy call” of Premier O’Connor-Connolly to Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, adding she had “expressed her solidarity with the people of Grenada on the devastation caused to Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique and offered relief assistance to Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

The statement said that the premier and her delegation will visit both Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines to deliver aid relief.

The statement quoted Prime Minister Mitchell as expressing “his profound and heartfelt appreciation for the material support and solidarity shown by the premier and her government and the people of the Cayman Islands during these challenging times.”

On Thursday, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada urged the international community to provide assistance at little or no cost as the two Caribbean countries continue their rehabilitation efforts in the wake of a Category 4 storm that left several people dead and caused millions of US dollars in damages.

Hurricane Beryl, which barreled its way through the Caribbean on July 1, had become the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic this season. It struck Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines as a Category 4 hurricane causing death, severe damage and destruction to homes and infrastructure, as well as massive loss of services and livelihoods.

Both Prime Minister Mitchell and his St Vincent and the Grenadines counterpart, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, acknowledged that the countries would need millions of dollars in order to recover from the storm.

The UN plan, which seeks to address the urgent needs of some 24,000 people in Grenada and 19,000 in St Vincent and the Grenadines, is based on preliminary estimates and funding projections, which will be reassessed in the short term.

The authorities say the exact numbers remain a challenge as assessments are ongoing amid damage to logistics, power, and communications services, as well as power cuts.

The goal is to raise at least US$9 million with US$5 million going to Grenada and the remainder to St Vincent and the Grenadines to assist approximately 43,000 people urgently needing humanitarian aid.