The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive yesterday warned that union threats against foreign investors were “not healthy” for the Bahamas’ economic development, as he urged them to break with “the old ways”.

Edison Sumner told Tribune Business that threats of a ‘national strike’ and ‘shutting the country down, which have recently been made by both trade unions and the ‘We March Bahamas’ organisers, belonged to a bygone era.

He argued that conciliation and negotiation were better ways to address worker grievances and labour disputes, adding that threats of industrial disruption “frankly annoy me”.

Mr Sumner was speaking after the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas (NCTUB), in response to this week’s 61 One & Only Ocean Club terminations, warned it would make life “miserable” for foreign investors who failed to embrace trade unions.

Union officials demanded that they be included in the Government’s negotiations with foreign developers, and that the latter be warned they are entering a “unionised environment”.

The NCTUB members also warned that they would be “going after” the various non-unionised work environments in the country in an attempt to restore balance to the employer/employee relationship.

None of this is likely to encourage the private sector and overall Bahamian economic climate, with many in the business community likely to suggest that such sentiments could not have come at a worse time with the Christmas season imminent.

Mr Sumner, calling on the labour movement to resolve its grievances via more conciliatory means, told Tribune Business: “A lot of the threats that unions put out are not necessary.

“I do understand the tactic, and what they are trying to achieve, but they’re the old ways - calling for mass strikes, for the country to be shut down is the way of the past.”

Calling on the trade union movement to modernise its approach to dispute resolution, Mr Sumner said “there’s certainly other ways” to address grievances, such as conciliation, negotiation and mediation.

“Quite frankly, it annoys me; calls for a national strike, shutting the country down. Who does it benefit? It benefits no one,” he added.

The Chamber chief executive also told Tribune Business that not every business environment in the Bahamas needed to be unionised, and nor did every worker wish to join a trade union.

“Not every investor coming into the country, and not every business operating in this country, needs a unionised business,” Mr Sumner said.

“I don’t see the need for the workforce of every business to belong to a union. When you have an employer looking after the welfare of their employees, they may not have need of a union.

“Every worker in the country should have an option to join a union, but it should not be made mandatory that they have to join a union. It’s just their right to do so,” he added.

“If the Government decides through legislation that every employee should belong to a union, or that every employer must ensure its workers are part of a union, I’m going to be push for every business to be a member of the Chamber.”

Mr Sumner added that threats of industrial action “go against the grain of getting good business done”, and pointed out that foreign direct investment (FDI) was essential to growing the Bahamian economy, building foreign exchange reserves and creating employment opportunities.

“There has to be a balanced approach,” he added. “To make threats against foreign investment coming in is not healthy.”