The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Public Services Union president Kimsley Ferguson warned the government against harsh work conditions and delayed promotions for union members of the Office of the Registrar General, threatening to suspend services.

Scores of employees of the Office of the Registrar General gathered outside the building on Shirley Street to protest a number of grievances.

Mr Ferguson said the elevator in the complex has been out of service since November, with employees having to regularly climb three sets of stairs. He alleged the government is not prepared to fix the elevator given the heightened cost and potential demolition efforts underway.

“The understanding that I have is the government doesn’t wish to spend any money to fix an elevator in this building, to service these individuals that have a responsibility to the public,” Mr Ferguson said on the sidelines of the Registrar General’s Office.

“And so, they’re expecting to move across the street, that renovation would have begun sometime last year and that has no end or conclusion in sight. And so, what is happening here is this work environment now needs to be rectified so that the health and safety of the people inside this building is secured.

“We want to make an appeal to the Attorney General to address this because I’m advised that he’s quite aware of what is going on down here. Now we don’t want to have to pull everybody out of the building and so our motto says reasoning together accomplishes.”

BPSU president said he intended to contact Attorney General Ryan Pinder yesterday to address the matter.

Mr Ferguson said phone lines at the facility have been down for roughly four years, with staff having to use their personal phones to make work-related calls.

He noted the delay in promotions for some 150 union members, calling on intervention from the government.

“The promotion exercise for this particular department appears to be nowhere in sight,” he said yesterday.

“Now, this is a revenue- generating agency for the government of the Bahamas, you can’t muzzle the ox that treads out the corn.

“These people are making money for the government of The Bahamas, at least allow these individuals to see that you appreciate the work that they’re doing here by rewarding them for work- ing above and beyond the call of duty.”

Monique Dawkins, shop steward at the Registrar General’s office, pleaded on behalf of the staff yesterday, saying successive governments have failed the department.

“For months, the elevator was down. We have mould in this building, we have people getting sick constantly, having sinus problems, and we have persons always being off because they’re sick because of the mould. “Our work entails dealing with files, this is not the typical government office. We have to climb stairs with the files in order to do our work. Imagine you sitting in your law firm, these ladies have shopping bags and boxes of files toting upstairs to accommodate you in your law firm.

“We are still waiting on promotions. The majority of the public service has been given promotions, but we are still waiting. I don’t care what they say about this department these officers work and it’s evident because it’s now four months and we are just making noise.”

She noted that Registrar Camille Gomez-Jones has made attempts to contact officials, but to no avail.