The Tribune

By CELESTE NIXON Tribune Staff Reporter cnixon@tribunemedia.net AS the labour stand-off at the airport continues, immigration and customs union officials have made a deal with Labour Minister Dion Foulkes not to speak to the press about their discussions going forward, Trade Union Congress president Obie Ferguson revealed. Mr Ferguson, legal representative of the Bahamas Customs, Immigration and Allied Worker's Union, said negotiations with the minister resumed on Wednesday morning at 8am. Agreeing with Mr Foulkes not to discuss the contents of the meeting, Mr Ferguson would not comment on the progress of negotiations or if the strike action would continue while negotiations are continuing. Following an FNM constituency opening in Long Island on Monday, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said the recent action taken by civil servants is "politically motivated" as customs and immigration officers were hired under the terms that they would be working shifts. "The reality is that most of those (Customs) officers were hired by the government on the basis that they would work shifts. Many of them have signed a letter confirming, that's how they got hired and so the fact that they don't want to work that way is putting their own jobs in their hands for them to decide themselves," Mr Ingraham said. Responding to the Prime Minister's comments, Mr Ferguson said the union's position has nothing to do with politics. He said: "The union has done nothing to suggest that this is a political matter." Customs and Immigration officials walked off the job at 5pm a week ago citing "general orders". On February 29, Sloane Smith, the acting president of the Bahamas Customs Immigration and Allied Workers Union, instructed members to abandon their shift schedule as it did not comply with regulations. The week-long action has caused major disturbances.