The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

LABOUR and National Insurance Minister, Shane Gibson, said yesterday that he plans to sit down with employer and trade union representatives to “hammer out” the proposed reforms  to the country’s Employment Act, once he receives detailed feedback from  the employers.

Mr Gibson, who confirmed that he met with the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) yesterday, told Tribune Business: “We are trying to charter the way forward to continuing the dialogue, and so they are supposed to be submitting some feedback to us  in  a more detailed way.

“Hopefully by next week, they said would do that. Once they do that we will call a meeting will all the interested parties, with the employers’ representatives, with the employees’ representatives along with government representatives, and we will sit down and  go through all the various recommendations. They will  make their position known next week, then we will sit down and hammer them out.”

The proposed amendments have caused quite a stir with Bahamian employers.Tribune Business revealed last week, with many objecting to the Government’s plan to include a mandatory one-hour lunch break in the definition of the ‘40-hour work week’, viewing this as an extra cost burden that will see employees paid for unproductive time and reducing the ‘work week’ to 35 hours.

Other employer concerns focused on the impact the proposed ‘12 consecutive hours of rest’ and ‘fixed day off’ requirements would have for companies that operated 24/7 and/or used shift work, plus the notion of paying hourly paid staff when they were not working on public holidays.

Regarding the origin of the proposed amendments, Mr Gibson told Tribune Business: “Most of the them came from the employees’ and employers’ representatives. Some of them came directly from government as well.

“I don’t know exactly who initiated them, but they came out of discussion with those three groups.” 

Despite the outcry from the private sector, Mr Gibson said he was optimistic about talks going forward. “I am optimistic going forward, no question. Everybody agrees that we need certain reforms but it’s just a matter how it will be done,” he added.