The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The merger of The Bahamas’ two major trade union bodies is “critically urgent” because workers are losing hard-fought rights and benefits, a leading unionist has told Tribune Business.

Obie Ferguson, head of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), said its planned combination with the National Congress of Trade Unions (NCTU) would give the labour movement more clout and influence in addressing issues that affect Bahamian workers.

Declining to provide a timeline for when the merger will be consummated, following last week’s vote in favour by both umbrella bodies and their respective union affiliates, Mr Ferguson argued that it would unify the labour movement and enable it to “speak with one voice” in much the same manner that the Chamber of Commerce does for the private sector.

“The labour movement has accepted that it is in the best interests of the workers of The Bahamas that their be unity, and that there be one apex body that will require all unions to be associated with that body,” the TUC chief told this newspaper, “so we can pool our resources together, we can speak with one voice and we could confront issues in a more collaborative way and we can better serve the workers of the Commonwealth.

“We met yesterday and we voted unanimously, the TUC and the NCTU, on the uniformity of the labour movement..... This is very critical for the labour movement based on the urgency we see occurring in the workplace. A lot of things we have worked on and achieved over the years seem to be disappearing.”

Mr Ferguson cited difficulties in ensuring workers received due pay for working on holiday from both employers and the Government, “industrial agreements not being honoured” and the recent difficulties surrounding the National Insurance Board (NIB) union’s strike poll as examples of where worker rights were coming under pressure

“I had to go to court to get an order from the court to have a poll,” he recalled of the NIB matter. “How can that be progressive for workers. A strike vote is not a strike; it’s to determine if the members are desirous of having a strike or not. These things out not to happen.

“When we now speak to the Government we will speak with one voice. There will be one. When we speak to the private sector we will speak with one voice. It makes life easier, makes it more efficient and makes it more constructive as as you won’t have three to four people saying different things.

“It will be a united body like the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce speaks for business. Why can’t we do the same? It’s better to have one voice. You’re working from a stronger base. You will see a more united labour movement and the efforts of the workers together,” Mr Ferguson continued.

“As a matter of fact every minister of labour has said they don’t see no reason why we can’t be together. I hope they continue to say the same thing. Now there will be one apex body and one united labour movement.”

Mr Ferguson said a merger of the two umbrella union bodies had been in discussion “unofficially” for some two years. A transition committee will now develop “the relevant protocols” to ensure the merger “is done in a smooth and orderly way”.

Calling on the union movement to “let the past be the past”, and “look forward in the interests of the workers”, the TUC chief said he could see no obstacles to the merger’s completion. He added that the “protocols” developed would ensure that the unions did “not encroach” on each other, set out the new “apex body’s” rules and develop objectives in areas such as training and education.