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Consumer advocate Maureen Holder has welcomed the news that a new social compact has been successfully negotiated to reduce the prices of some items on supermarket shelves, but says it does not go far enough.The Executive Director of the Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network (BCEN) has also questioned the level of ease consumers will actually get, given that their purchasing power is already reduced.“BCEN does not view the renegotiated compact as a cost-saving measure but an indirect price control measure because prices can fluctuate at any time but not beyond the cap on the mark-ups,” Hol...

The willingness of retailers to extend the social compact arrangement with the government may hinge on the outcome of the Barbados Light and Power (BL&P) rate hearing, says a consumer advocacy group.Saying that the reluctance of this island’s retail sector to renegotiate the compact possibly stemmed from the cloud of uncertainty surrounding future electricity costs, Executive Director of the Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network (BCEN) Maureen Holder noted any rate increase will have wide-reaching implications.Speaking on the impact high energy costs have had on production in Barbados, t...

By Marlon Madden As Barbadians await word from the Government on a possible new compact with the private sector to help ease the cost of living, the island’s main advocacy group is urging authorities to be vigilant and ensure any new deal actually benefits consumers. Executive Director of the Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network (BCEN) Maureen Holder told Barbados TODAY that was crucial

The island’s main consumer advocacy group is adamant that the six-month Social Partnership Food Prices Compact which expires on January 31, has not benefited consumers.Executive Director of the Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network (BCEN) Maureen Holder said on Tuesday that even with the cap that had been put in place on 44 essential items in July last year, prices in the supermarkets remain too high.She is warning that Barbadians will be worse off if the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) sticks to its position that members may not renew the contract when they meet again with ...

The Barbados Consumers Empowerment Network (BCEN) is calling on Barbadians to speak out against the rising cost of food in the country. In a media release, the group said since the July 14 press conference which announced the compact between Government and the private sector to bring an ease in food prices, consumers are yet to get any relief. “In Barbados we have a situation where consumers such as retirees, …