The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

TRANSPORT and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin yesterday called allegations of two employees being “victimised” by the Department of Civil Aviation made by Bahamas Air Traffic Controller’s Union President Lashan Gray “reckless, irresponsible and possibly defamatory”.

During her address in the opening moments of the meeting of the House of Assembly yesterday, Mrs Hanna said that she “rejects as false, scurrilous and scandalous any allegation that any officer in the ministry of transport and aviation is being victimised.”

Mrs Hanna-Martin did admit however that Ms Gray was correct in her assertion that the “Department of Civil Aviation and by extension the government of the Bahamas” had failed in its “legal obligations to have implemented a Health and Safety Committee”.

“The president opines on a number of concerns relative to the physical conditions of the air traffic control tower, and in particular the president refers to a state of affairs in 2011 which I am aware of was rectified when I took office two years ago,” Mrs Hanna-Martin said. “The first is this scurrilous allegation that two air traffic controllers are being ‘victimised’, an allegation which is not only untrue and unfounded, but reckless and irresponsible, and possibly defamatory.

“I want the record to reflect as minister responsible for aviation we are ready and willing to respond to the issues as they exist and I reject as false, scurrilous and scandalous any allegation that any officer in the ministry of transport and aviation is being victimised.”

During a press conference on Tuesday at Labour House Ms Gray asserted that two employees who had proposed a temporary suspension of air traffic services in light of poor health and safety conditions were being “unjustifiably” disciplined as a result.

Ms Gray said the problem stemmed from “one of many water outages” that they “were accustomed to”, which she said resulted in employees having to travel nine floors with bottled water just to flush non-working toilets. As a result, the two employees, in supervisory roles, opted to temporarily suspend the air traffic services, a move that she said was in accordance with both local and international regulations.

Ms Gray said the temporary suspension would have entailed “significant notification and co-ordination to ensure that the safety of aircraft were able to be maintained”. She also said senior management was “duly advised” but provided “no alternative recommendation to addressing the health and safety concerns”.

Because of this, Ms Gray claimed the employees are being unfairly disciplined, and said the union “will not accept” disciplinary action against two members who “operated fully within their supervisory right of responsibility to protect the health and safety of their co-workers and themselves”.

Mrs Hanna-Martin said she wasn’t aware of the allegations regarding the air traffic control tower, but if found she said they “will be rectified immediately.” She also called the assertion of officers having to ‘tote’ water up nine floors “misleading” and attributed the water shortage to “works being conducted by the Water and Sewage Corporation”.

She admitted that the department of civil aviation had “failed to establish a health and safety committee under the new legislation that was passed a few weeks ago,” and said steps were being taken for the “immediate establishment” of the committee.

However, she did not approve of the BATCU’s intent to lobby the union body to take a strike poll, and said that if it does take place, it would be “within the context of an employer who is not only listening, but is standing ready to respond to all of the concerns.”

“I’m advised that there is a convention with this union and the ministry of labour, that where there are issues there would be communication and consequent resolution,” she said. “If within this context of an employer who is not only listening but ready to respond, to work with you and resolve the issues, if within that context the threat of a strike is executed, I am inviting the Bahamian people to give it careful analysis, particularly in light of recent assertions by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of efforts they wish to take.”

Obie Ferguson, the TUC president, said on Tuesday that the TUC and the BATCU will “work as a body, as a unit together” to resolve these matters. In July, Mr Ferguson renewed his promise to lead workers in an “imminent” strike against working conditions in the country.