The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Chamber of Commerce & Employers Confederation (BCCEC) said yesterday that that even the threat of strike action, as suggested by the Trade Unions Congress (TUC), could have a destabilising effect on the economy and business environment “at a time we could least afford”.

Responding to e-mailed inquiries by Tribune Business as to whether there was any concern within the private sector about recent statements by the TUC, Chamber chairman, Chester Cooper, said it believed that labour disputes were best resolved through continuous dialogue and negotiation.

TUC head Obie Ferguson recently charged that there has been a “complete breakdown” with respect to labour relations in the country, and warned that a mass strike could be imminent unless the Government decides to “do the the right thing”.

Mr Ferguson, also an attorney, expressed serious concern over the direction of labour relations in the Bahamas and the way workers were being treated. He called on the government to address all outstanding industrial agreements and outlined several amendments which he said needed to be made to the country’s Employment Act.

“The BCCEC believes that the best resolve to labour disputes is through continuous dialogue and negotiation. These comments are incredible at a time when the economy is still in peril and unemployment is upwards of 14 per cent, and the fiscal constraints of the Bahamas are well-documented,” said Mr Cooper.

He added: “During these continued trying times, all stakeholders must work together to find solutions to these national issues. On behalf of employers, we respectfully call on the parties to exercise restraint, as even the threat of sucha strike could have an unnecessary destabilising effect on the economy and business environment at a time we could least afford.”

The TUC was also scheduled to hold a rally last evening to highlight a number of labour-related issues in the country and sensitiae the public to those concerns.

Mr Ferguson previously told Tribune Business that following the rally, the TUC, which is the umbrella union for some 20-plus unions in the country, could move to call a mass three-day strike.