The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

MEMBERS of the Bahamas Union of Auxiliary Professionals in Education (BUAPE) protested outside the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday after learning that outgoing Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) president Dr Linda Davis is expected to remain with the institution in a different capacity next year.

Union members said they are outraged by this, insisting that Dr Davis’ leadership has contributed to bullying, intimidation, strained morale, and a lack of transparency. They said retaining her in any role would worsen conditions, particularly as BTVI prepares to welcome a new president.

Dozens of BTVI faculty and staff sat in chairs along the lawn of the Office of the Prime Minister holding signs that read: Honourable Prime Minister please intervene, Resolve the 174 outstanding matters from 2023, and Do not pollute our incoming president.

BUAPE President Ernesto Williams said the decision to protest was driven by months of unresolved disputes, internal tension, and a pattern of behaviour by the institution’s leadership that workers believe has undermined their professional well-being and the stability of BTVI.

“We have gotten confirmation or received word of the institutions, one, their intent to retain the outgoing president in a different capacity at the institution, and two, their lack of addressing the concerns of faculty and staff at the institution as well,” he said yesterday.

Mr Williams said the union believes BTVI’s board and senior administrators have continued ignoring staff complaints and have made decisions in isolation, despite workers repeatedly requesting dialogue, documentation, and clarity. He said the institution has not addressed serious concerns relating to governance, transparency, compensation, and workplace culture, and instead appears to be expanding the influence of the very leadership workers say has caused the problems.

He said faculty and staff were deeply concerned about what they view as the continued extension of Dr Davis’ authority, even after her term as president ends.

“We have noticed that instead of coming to speak, to work with and engage faculty and staff to resolve their concerns so that the institution can progress holistically, the board of directors and the outgoing presidents have engaged in their own practices, ignoring the voices of faculty and staff, as well as making efforts to retain the outgoing president in a different capacity from January 2026,” he said.

Mr Williams said the union has followed every formal step outlined by Prime Minister Philip Davis earlier this year, when he encouraged workers to raise disputes through their union first, then the Department of Labour, and ultimately his office if the matter remains unresolved. Mr Williams said the union has done all of this without success, leaving the Prime Minister’s intervention as their last resort.

“We’ve done all that we can. Our last stop is now to our Prime Minister’s Office. It is to the point of our desperation where we reach out and we say, Prime Minister, we need your intervention,” he said. He added that the union wants the government to issue an immediate stop to any contract or consultancy arrangement for Dr Davis and to appoint an external representative who can meet with staff and help negotiate a settlement for the long list of longstanding disputes.

The ongoing industrial action has led faculty to continue withholding their services, disrupting end-of-term exams and campus operations. Mr Williams said students are aware of the stance and have expressed understanding and encouragement as faculty press forward with the protest.

This latest protest follows several months of industrial unrest and multiple demonstrations by BUAPE.

BUAPE says its goal is not to disrupt education but to protect the integrity of BTVI and ensure staff are respected and included in decisions that affect them.

Mr Williams said union members want nothing more than to return to work, but only once their concerns are taken seriously and a clear, fair path forward is agreed upon. He said the union remains hopeful that the Prime Minister will intervene swiftly and that BTVI can finally begin addressing the long list of disputes that have lingered for years.

“We are committed to the holistic development of the institution. All we say is, meet us at the table so we can do that together and the institution's leadership, along with its board and its outgoing president hasn't done that, and so hopefully, following in the footsteps that the Prime Minister started his administration year with, that will continue here at the Office of the Prime Minister for us,” he said yesterday.