The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

THE National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas has urged the FNM government to “be serious” about honouring its promises to improve labour relations in the country, calling on the Minnis-led administration to prove it can turn words into action.

NCTUB Secretary General Zane Lightbourne, in an interview with The Tribune, said while Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and his administration have “presented themselves as friends of labour” to the union, time will tell if their words will be “translated into actual action”.

“We did our homework before the elections, we would have met with all of the parties vying for political position, and the FNM’s platform came with a lot of promises that we’re looking for them to keep when it comes to labour,” Mr Lightbourne said.

“(Prime Minister Minnis) and his team would have met with the National Congress and we will hold them to what they have assured us they will do for labour. They have presented themselves as friends of labour; we’ll have to see that translated into actual action, and we have some proposals to present to them that will benefit the country.

“We’re looking for the government to be serious about what they say,” he added. “We believe they are, but they have to just show us that they can translate all of their words into action.”

Mr Lightbourne also commended the former Christie administration for its efforts on the labour front while in office, saying that those efforts brought the country’s labour movement “a big step from where we actually were for a long time, where a lot of matters for labour were not addressed.”

However, he said, it was “sad” that the PLP “didn’t read the people in a manner they should have,” ultimately resulting in the party’s defeat at the polls.

“We have no political preference,” Mr Lightbourne added. “We prefer that a government that comes into power adheres to the requirement of labour for the benefit of their people. This isn’t a personal initiative for any one of us to hold office. As (NCTUB) members, we each have our individual preference when it comes to politics, and you’ll find that we cannot speak for everyone when we talk about who we’re voting for.

“We know what we’d like to see in a party, and as expressed we know what was presented by the PLP, and we thank them for what they have done. It’s sad that they didn’t read the people in a manner they should have or had an opportunity to, and so now they’re placed in that position.

“But we’re here for the people, and the people have to exist under whatever government comes into play. And, therefore, I would not go on record to say that we’re saddened by any win or loss in any particular government, but that the Bahamas is the beneficiary of good governance going forward, and all of those things that need to be done, that they are done.

“And not at the end of any tenure but in a timely manner where people can see that work is being done, and people are getting the benefit immediately because it’s been long suffering for a lot of our citizens.”

Earlier this month, both NCTUB President Bernard Evans and Vice-President Paul Maynard praised the former Christie administration for advancing trade relations in the country, while appearing sceptical of how labour issues would be resolved under a FNM government.

Mr Evans had given the PLP, in particular former minister of labour Shane Gibson a “B+” grade on how well that government worked with the union, stating at the time that almost all of the contracts the union negotiated with the government have been satisfied with the exception of one or two.

Mr Maynard said at the time that “people may have a problem with the PLP and (former) Prime Minister Perry Christie” but that was not his experience. In fact, Mr Maynard said anything he asked the government for on behalf of his members he “always” received.

However, both men said at the time that they had “issues with comments about unions” previously made by then-FNM candidates Jeff Lloyd and Dionisio D’Aguilar and were “unsure” on what would happen if the FNM became the next government.

Nonetheless, they said they had met with Dr Minnis while he was in opposition and were willing to give him a chance.