The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

BAHAMAS Public Services Union President John Pinder yesterday criticised Trade Union Congress President Obie Ferguson for “misleading” members of the TUC and said Mr Ferguson’s recent actions were not “in the best interest of workers in the country”.

After signing a $10m industrial agreement with government and Public Hospital Authority officials, Mr Pinder said he does not like it when trade union leaders “mislead members just for some personal gain” and blamed Mr Ferguson for encouraging some of his members to strike in “such critical conditions”.

Mr Pinder’s comments were in response to Mr Ferguson’s recent assertions, after announcing a national strike on Tuesday, that various trade unionists and political figures in Bahamian history, like Sir Randol Fawkes and Sir Lynden Pindling, had to make tough decisions necessary to ensure positive changes for the working class.

Mr Pinder is also head of the rival umbrella union the National Congress of Trade Unions of the Bahamas.

“I’m not satisfied that the actions taken by the TUC are in the best interest of workers in the country,” Mr Pinder said. “I’ve asked them to identify to the National Congress of Trade Unions fundamental issues that impact their members. I have not been supplied with any such national issues. When you talk about a national strike, it has to be fundamental issues that impact workers of our country.

“Everybody thinks that they should be another Sir Randol Fawkes, or another Sir Clifford Darling. There’s no need for that in today’s society. If you have a government and you can understand the financial impact on our country, and they are not in a position to give you these outrageous things, then I don’t see why you want to mislead people to think that you need a national strike.

“I believe it’s fundamental for them to come to the table and then, if they have matters that are not resolved, then they can take it elsewhere, but there’s a protocol involved in doing that. I don’t like when they mislead people.”

After months of pledging to initiate industrial action, Mr Ferguson on Tuesday evening announced a strike because, he said, his members were fed up with the lingering issues that they haven’t been able to resolve in spite of attempts to reach an accord with the Christie administration and the private sector since 2011.

He said the industrial action would last “as long as it takes”.

Mr Pinder has said his organisation would not take part in the TUC’s action and urged his 13,000 members not to get involved in a “nonsensical strike” planned by a few “greedy people” that could cost them their jobs.

He criticised Mr Ferguson for not having “skills to bargain properly” or work with the government.

He added that “striking” was not the way “to get money from the government”, especially “one that doesn’t have any money”. He also took exception to the claims that some nurses in New Providence and the Family Islands walked off the job while performing their duties.

“I met a gentleman last night who said to me that they were preparing his sister for some sort of procedure, and they (nurses) took the drips and everything off her and told her to go home because they’re going on strike,” he said. “That’s abandoning your post. No union leader should advise their members to abandon their posts in such critical situations. I believe the time has come for the government to really consider the nurses to be an essential service, because that could have been my mother or my sister. I believe it’s unfair for us as trade union leaders to mislead our members just for some personal gain.

“We must look at the global and regional situations. Jamaica signed an industrial agreement in 2013 with a freeze on salary and a freeze on increments. St Lucia’s public service has been asked to receive a five per cent deduction in salaries. Barbados lost 3,500 civil servants. So I’m really thankful to our government that they have not laid off any of our members, and they still find a little something to give us, and I pray to God our country continues to do well.”

If the strike continues, today would mark the third day of strike action by the TUC, and it is unclear when it will come to an end.

Labour Minister Shane Gibson, however, said yesterday that he was willing to “cancel everything” on his schedule – even his weekend appointments – to bring resolution to various strikers’ “laundry list of concerns”.