The Tribune

THERE is trouble brewing with unions, it would seem.

We have already seen Bahamasair staff taking industrial action – deemed illegal action by their employers. 

And now we hear that 14 more unions have obtained strike certificates. 

A strike certificate does not, of course, mean a strike action. It merely opens the way for such. 

But it does show the simmering issues that remain unresolved. 

Add to that concerns raised over the proposed move to bi-weekly salary payments. The concern there is that a significant number of workers are happy with their pay the way it is, thank you very much. Changing to bi-weekly rather than monthly has all kinds of implications for workers who have mortgages coming out of their accounts on specific dates, or loans, or all manner of things that are none of the government’s business. 

Some unions are even making noises to suggest they have been excluded from discussions on that matter. 

One swallow may not make a summer, but a whole flock is certainly an indication of the weather. 

This extent of union unrest is a sign of a potentially challenging time ahead for the government – and for the public if those strike certificates translate into strike action. 

All this at a time when the government has been making noises about looking towards the next election. 

Now some might well say that unions might be looking to use the election countdown as a bargaining position. 

How much flexibility the government may actually have financially in that countdown is open to question. 

There are a lot of things still up in the air economically – and how the state of the economy feels to citizens will play a great part in how they might decide to vote. It always does. 

So is the union disgruntlement a bellwether for an election defeat? It is far too soon to say that. It does suggest though that the government has plenty of hearts and minds to win over before any election bell is rung. 

And that is before we get to such matters as the scandals surrounding investigations into police officers and government officials in assorted matters. 

Are we facing a winter of discontent? Or will peace break out? 

Either way, it seems there is far from festive feeling going on in some quarters.