The Tribune

By SANCHESKA DORSETT

Tribune Staff Reporter

sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Congress of Trade Unions executives yesterday praised the Christie administration for advancing trade relations in the country while appearing sceptical of how labour issues would be resolved under a Free National Movement government.

In an interview with The Tribune, National Congress of Trade Union’s (NCTUB) President Bernard Evans said if he had to give the PLP, in particular Minister of Labour Shane Gibson, a grade on how well they worked with the union, it would be a “B+”. Mr Evans said almost all of the contracts the union negotiated with the government have been satisfied with the exception of one or two.

Vice-president of the NCTUB and president of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union Paul Maynard said “people may have a problem with the PLP and Prime Minister Perry Christie” but that is not his experience. In fact, Mr Maynard said anything he asked the government for on behalf of his members he “always” received.

Both men said they had “issues with comments about unions” made by Free National Movement candidates Jeff Lloyd and Dionisio D’Aguilar and are “unsure” on what will happen if the FNM becomes the next government. However, they said they have met with FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis and are willing to give him a chance.

The NCTUB also sent a statement on Tuesday evaluating the state of labour relations in the country. The press release said that while there is still much work to do, the union is pleased by what has happened to date.

“This has been displayed recently by the present government that has increased the minimum wage for workers in the country. The government also amended the Employment Act and the Industrial Relations Act to protect workers against mass layoffs by ‘redundancy’ exercises, and this was a major step in the right direction for our workers,” the statement noted.

“Additionally, all unions under the umbrella of the NCTUB have completed and signed collective bargaining agreements to improve working conditions, benefits and pay. The NCTUB must also commend the government for implementing National Health Insurance (NHI), which is especially designed to help the least among us. Going forward, the country would do well to have a labour friendly government because at the end of the day it is labourers that build countries.”

The union said it looks forward to the “next cycle of governance” and encouraged their members to “respect the views of others and seek to make choices and participate in dialogue that would build our nation and our people.”

“Additionally, the NCTUB must serve notice to all private companies, banks and foreign investors, that the Bahamas is a labour-friendly environment, and the labour movement demands that all workers have the option of being organised and therefore protected under the umbrella of a union,” the statement also noted.

“In conclusion as we head into our general elections, we ask all citizens to please respect the views of others and seek to make choices and participate in dialogue that would build our nation and our people. The process of elections is already divisive, and does not need to be negatively fuelled by irreparable character damage that is often expressed in the social media environment. We encourage all of our many members of our affiliate bodies to exercise responsible social behaviour, and show support for the candidates of their choice while remembering that the success of this country depends on us all.”

The NCTUB has more than 35,000 members.