The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Staff Association President Dwight Smith said yesterday his members are “concerned” that every other union and organization in the Bahamas can get their needs met by the government, but the PSA “hasn’t even been invited to the table”.

Speaking with the press, Mr Smith said it has been months with no word from the Prime Minister or the Minister of Finance over the organisation’s concerns.

The association has been calling for compensation for the officers who were on a 12-hour work day schedule. Mr Smith has also threatened to sue over reimbursement, to which Prime Minister Perry Christie said “he was well within his rights to do so”.

However, after months of agitating, Mr Smith said they are not getting anywhere by trying to negotiate through the proper channels. They are now tired of being patient.

“What we are trying to do is cause laws to be put in place, since there is no laws to govern overtime,” said Mr Smith. “The Police Staff Association and members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, by extension, the majority of them are wondering how do we have an issue and it’s not being addressed when all through the media you hearing issues by other unions being addressed.

“We believe that a promise is a comfort to a fool, but at least those persons have been getting some promises. We see all these headlines about double-dipping, then persons were able to get a meeting. Then there were issues with bonuses in the paper and all of a sudden people were able to get bonuses and here is the police, who did a lot of work and want compensation, and we still haven’t gotten around the table as yet, we feel as though something is very wrong with that. This is not an attack on the government or anyone, it’s just to say that we are human beings, we feel that we play a very important role in this country as police officers and when there is an issue we feel as if we encourage persons to actually sit around the table to discuss their issues instead of taking it on the street and fighting. We feel then that we ought to have an opportunity to sit around the table and talk about our issues.”

Mr Smith said the association understands that the government may not have the money at this time, but if the government would simply meet with them, they are certain they can work something out.

“We have always gone through the proper channels and the protocols and yet still to this day and time, we cannot get a meeting. Why do you have to go on the streets and march up and down, when we are trying to say we want to be peaceful. We talk about the pay increase, I know people think that police make a lot of money, but we have not had a pay increase in over 11 years. We are still trying to sit around the table to say ‘Let’s talk about a pay increase’. Again we say, yes we understand that money may be an issue and money may be tight, but for God’s sake I don’t think it will be like that forever, so why can’t we sit around the table so that we can satisfy each other? They may not be able to give a bulk of money, but certainly you can put things in place for it to happen over a period of time.”

Mr Smith said if they do not get a meeting with the government before the New Year, they will take legal action.