The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

STATE Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said yesterday that government is aiming to sign at least four new industrial agreements with several unions before the anniversary of its first year in office.

The unions include the Bahamas Union of Teachers, Bahamas Customs, Immigration and Allied Workers Union and the Bahamas Public Service Union.

They have been agitating for new labour contracts over the last several years, with some resorting to industrial action to bring attention to the issue.

Giving an update on ongoing negotiations yesterday, Mrs Glover-Rolle was optimistic that four more industrial agreements with the unions could be completed and signed before the end of next month.

“I know that we are currently in negotiations with BPSU, the Customs, Immigration and Allied Workers Union. Those are basically coming to an end,” she said before yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

“BUT is completed,” she added. “We are very close to signing and the document is now with the financial secretary. We are just clearing up a few financial articles and I would anticipate that we should hear back from him today.

“So, in short order, we should be able to sign and bring that industrial agreement to conclusion.”

The state minister also revealed that negotiations are ongoing between quasi-government agencies and their unions.

She added: “Before our first anniversary, we hope that we can sign at least four more and I think that it’s looking good.”

In the past month, the Davis administration has signed new labour contracts with about five different unions, including the Bahamas Nurses Union, the Public Managers Union, the Bahamas Educators, Counsellors and Allied Workers Union and others.

Yesterday, Mrs Glover- Rolle said the recent signings demonstrate the government’s commitment to fulfill its promises to workers.

“On the campaign trail, we spoke to the commitment, the PLP has always been committed to labour and we spoke to that commitment through a memorandum of understanding. And on day one, we opened the door of communication with trade unions,” she added.

“My first week in office, I had meetings with all of the trade union leaders to not only cement our party’s commitment to working with them, but also to expedite the signing of the industrial agreements, getting them back to the table and that’s what we did.

“I’m happy to say that we have just concluded negotiations with the customs and immigration union and that document is now being cleaned up in preparation for signing.”

She also spoke of her ministry’s efforts to regularise civil servants, saying the process was going “extremely well.”

She said: “When you put a focused approach on any project, normally you get the results that we’re getting - which is movement, which is files being expedited, which is thousands of persons receiving confirmations, reclassifications, and, of course, promotions that have been in the pipeline for a very long time.

“There are 21,686 public servants and, of course, that’s growing but we ensure that we’re looking at this from a perspective of not only a focused approach, but ministry by ministry so persons that may have fallen through the cracks, the proverbial cracks over the years, hopefully, that we will be able to engage all of their files and be able to rectify any matters that are long outstanding for them.

“That process, in our estimation, is going extremely well.”