The Tribune

By Annelia Nixon

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

A trade union leader yesterday asserted that “a promise is a comfort to a fool” as “nothing in writing” has been received following a “rushed” late November meeting with the Prime Minister.

Dr Charelle Lockhart, the Consultant Physicians Staff Association (CPSA) president, said she sat in on a “rushed meeting” with Philip Davis KC on November 22 concerning the lack of health insurance for members, plus issues about clocking in and out for work in the public health facilities including the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).

While Dr Lockhart added that Mr Davis agreed with many of ideas shared by the union, she is still waiting on a promised follow-up and written confirmation that he backs the CPSA’s position, adding: “We are waiting to get that in writing before we celebrate.

“So we had meetings but a promise is a comfort to a fool, if you ask me. If nothing is in writing, and we have nothing in writing from the Prime Minister... We had a meeting where we exchanged some ideas verbally. There were some fundamental and key things for us that he agreed with us on. However, we have none of that in writing and we have not had a follow up with him.

“He said that we would follow up within a week, and I understand that he is super busy and some other things came up that is challenging the Government, I get it. But we have had nothing in writing and, in order for us to resume negotiations, we need to have the Prime Minister’s thoughts in writing because they’re going to tell us they didn’t hear nothing from the Prime Minister.”

Dr Lockhart said she sent an e-mail on November 28 to Mr Davis, and copied Trades Union Congress (TUC) president, Obie Ferguson on it, requesting acknowledgement. “Nobody has acknowledged receipt of my letter,” Dr Lockhart said.

“I don’t have an acknowledgment and so I sent that letter on the 28 and I sent a follow-up email to his permanent secretary today, asking for acknowledgement and for him to kind of remind the Prime Minister to take a look at our letter and to give some kind of response.

“We’re putting our confidence in the Prime Minister that the things that we agreed upon in that meeting, that was held with his team as well as Mr Ferguson and us, that those things will be upheld and that we would have a follow-up from his team, hopefully before the end of this week, because this would be week number two.

“And so we’re positively awaiting something in writing. Having nothing in writing still leaves us in limbo as if we did not have the meeting.” The CPSA’s previous industrial agreement ended in 2021, “and the administration changed somewhere in between there.”

Ms Lockhart added that they received a “final offer” from Simon Wilson, the Ministry of Finance’s financial secretary, ending the negotiations, which they did not agree to. “Our understanding of negotiations is that you talk until you come to an agreement,” she said. “Both sides. And that was not done.”

According to Hinsey McKenzie, the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union’s (BATCU) president, there has been progress on their grievances with the expectation that the access road to the control tower at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) will be moved to a new agreed-upon location starting “at least by six months from now”.

This comes after a November 22 meeting with the Government leading to the shared view between TUC president, Mr Ferguson, and Mr Mckenzie that a strike is unlikely. “The agreed location is after you pass the water tanks or the osmosis plant on JFK West heading towards the Airport Industrial Park. The access road will go in between Runway 14 and Runway 10,” Mr McKenzie said.

According to Mr McKenzie, the access road as it is now is a “safety concern”. He explained: “The access road was built in the landing zone too close to the runway. It is a safety concern and cannot pass an ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) audit. During night time and bad weather, when controllers drive that road with high beam light it can affect pilot vision when aircraft are landing.

“When you drive on that road your vehicle insurance ceases. So if you get into an accident with another company vehicle or an aircraft, you have no insurance coverage. Every company is supposed to have insurance coverage to operate on airside but recently a controller got into an accident on that road but no one wants to take responsibility. I hope I was able to clarify the issue with the access road.”

As it pertains to other concerns the union had, Mr McKenzie said they have been dealt with at the same meeting.