The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

A HANDFUL of protestors, including Trade Union Congress President Obie Ferguson and We March Bahamas organisers, assembled in Rawson Square yesterday with placards a day after they called on workers across the country to have a national “sit down”.

Organisers said that multiple forms of industrial action tactics are expected to take place over the next few days until Prime Minister Perry Christie meets with the umbrella union to iron out long standing issues.

The move was expected to force the government’s hand in agreeing to the union’s requests.

Speaking to The Tribune in Rawson Square, Mr Ferguson said this decision was made after meeting for several months with the prime minister, but reaching no resolve.

However, Labour Minister Shane Gibson scoffed at the group’s attendance in Rawson Square, claiming that the union resorted to a “sit in” after finding no success in organising a march in protest of the government.

There were no reports of widespread disruption at government ministries or departments yesterday.

Mr Gibson rejected Mr Ferguson’s claims saying the industrial action was no more than an attempt to embarrass the governing PLP during its three-day convention this week.

He insisted that the government has made steady progress with all of the existing industrial agreements and at this point now only had minor issues to iron out with two unions.

“It is interesting that they only had 20 whole people come out to demonstrate,” Mr Gibson said during a telephone interview with The Tribune.

“Ask customs officers if they haven’t directed (Bahamas Customs, Immigration and Allied Workers Union President) Sloan Smith to sign the industrial agreement so they can get their money. He is doing his own thing because he and Obie have a political plan.

“We now classify the We March as a political organisation trying to get together with all of the opposition forces, those opposed to the government to try and destabilise the government. I do not accept that they are marching against any establishment. I don’t know why they would pick in the middle of our convention to try and organise a demonstration.”

He added: “Out of all the industrial agreements we have with the government agencies the only people now outstanding is the doctors and the customs and immigration officers. We have already agreed that we will conclude minor outstanding issues on Friday coming for the doctors.

“(With the) Customs and Immigration we have a position now where we could agree except Sloan Smith is insisting that we give clerical staff of customs uniform allowance when they do not wear uniform. He is also insisting that we pay them other allowances, which they don’t work shift they work straight days so he wants us to give them that allowance as well.

“All of the benefits that we give to uniform officers they are trying to convince us to give those same benefits to the clerical staff. We have already told them emphatically that that is not going to happen.”

Issues

Despite this, Mr Ferguson said there are just too many outstanding issues with several aspects of public and private sector unionised workers not to take action.

He said Prime Minister Perry Christie promised to update them on the government’s decision on their issues shortly after We March Bahamas staged its first demonstration. However, this has not happened he said.

“So the workers decided that we would begin a process that would lead to us having a meeting with him and finalising the issues and the items that we have with customs and immigration, with the air traffic controllers, the (Bahamas) Nurses Union, with the Bahamas Hotel Managers Association, the Cabbage Beach Owners Association, with the General Workers Union in Andros, with the Sandals (Resort) matter with the 600 Bahamians and the 12 managers, Water and Sewerage.

“These are some of the issues that we discussed with the government and the prime minister gave us his word that he will meet with us,” Mr Ferguson said. “So what we decided to do is we would sit in from all of the respective unions in their respective places and then some of us would come here at Rawson Square in case members who are not necessarily aligned to the union and meet them and give them general information.

“But if you were expecting 10 or 15 thousand people out here this morning that was not the intent. The intent was that there would be a sit-in at the respective places and there would be activities done that would cause the government to meet with us and discuss the matter. That’s essentially what we are trying to do.”

Throughout the Christie administration’s current term in office, union issues have persisted, despite the PLP’s pre-election pledge to address labour concerns.