The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A WELL-KNOWN trade union leader yesterday said that he was “extremely disappointed” with the way the Government has dealt with trade unions in the country, telling Tribune Business that unions are being frustrated by five to 10 year industrial agreement delays.

Trade Union Congress leader and labour attorney Obie Ferguson, speaking on the state of labour relations in the country ahead of the Sir Randol Fawkes Labour Day on June 3, said inordinate delays to the conclusion of various industrial agreements were designed to “frustrate, undermine and discredit” union leaders in the country.

“On behalf of the workers and affiliates of the Trade Union Congress I could say that we are very unhappy and dissatisfied that, in some cases, after five to 10 years we cannot complete industrial agreements between the employer and the employee within a reasonable time. These inordinate delays are designed to frustrate, to undermine and discredit the leaders in the unions,” said Mr Ferguson. “Unions have had to spend an inordinate amount of time going to court to seek remedies which can sometimes take years.

“It’s been almost four years now and the trade union movement has not had a member of Parliament in any real way speaking for and on behalf of the workers in this country. That is an all-time low for workers in this country. This is the worst experience for the workers of this country. We have met with the Minister, we went to the Prime Minister, certainly on the Customs and the Sandals matter, and the workers are frustrated. They are being terminated left, right and centre. The mechanism that is in place is not suitable. For some reason the policy makers and the technocrats do not seem to have the willpower to do what is necessary to bring resolution to these matters. Look at the Commonwealth Union in Grand Bahama, which from 2003 to now has not been able to get the Grand Lucayan to implement what they have agreed to implement.”

Mr Ferguson noted that the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union (BATCU) only recently signed an industrial agreement with the government after a prolonged wait. “The air traffic controllers have completed their agreement, for which the workers are grateful for, but it took them years,” he said. “The Minister wasn’t able to settle the matter certainly as it relates to Sandals and Customs. It appears that way. The only thing left for the workers to do is strike but when we call a strike they say we’re trying to destroy a country. That’s not what we’re trying to do.

“We just want some respect and some sensible and meaningful negotiations. If you can have that, it can’t take six years to negotiate an industrial agreement. We are extremely disappointed with the way that the government has dealt with some of the trade unions in this country on matters we feel ought to have long been resolved.”