The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Government has signed a $3m industrial agreement with the trade union representing the Water & Sewerage Corporation’s line staff that includes four set salary increases over the next three years.

Dwayne Woods, the Bahamas Utilities Services and Allied Workers Union (BUSAWU) president, said the first salary increase for his members at the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) will be a double increment made retroactive and payable on July 1, 2022, for people employed as at July 1, 2020. There will be a single increment added to their salary on July 1 this year, and a third increment payable on July 1, 2024.

“We had to give in order to receive,” Mr Woods said. “A person having their hands balled up can’t possibly receive anything. So by all means the union would have given up one or two things to make the burden a little easier on management to be able to afford such a contract.

“One thing we would have given up right away was that, based on our insurance premium that the WSC would pay for our employees, new employees coming in as of February 2023 would have to contribute to 30 percent of their insurance premium. That was ratified by the body and given back to the WSC in order to sustain itself going forward.”

Mr Woods added: “Previously, in our last contract, we would have given up a few sick days and accrued vacation days that we would benefit from going forward after retirement. So we gave up accrued vacation. That was an eating sore of the WSC as far as it being a burden. Now we look forward to maybe going from here, but the costs even spoke to the WSC.”

The new industrial agreement signed yesterday expires on June 30, 2025. The last such BUSWAU contract expired in 2018.

Alfred Sears, minister for works and utilities, said that, notwithstanding the increments for WSC employees, the Government is not considering any increase in water tariff rates to cover the extra costs. “I know the WSC is currently finalising a business plan, which will be provided to us and considered by the Cabinet. But I can say definitively at this point that no decision with respect to tariffs increases has been made,” Mr Sears said.