The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

STAFF of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) yesterday staged a protest outside the Office of the Prime Minister over outstanding promotions and regularisations.

DICT staff stationed at the Office of the Prime Minister gathered near the vehicle of Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis in a demonstration. Protesters held signs reading, “Silence is compliance. We choose to speak” and “No fight. No fuss. Just pay us.”

Bahamas Public Service Union (BPSU) president Mr Kimsley Ferguson told reporters he has attempted to engage several officials, including Minister of Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis, regarding unresolved promotions and regularisations affecting DICT staff. He also raised concerns about the implementation of a new career path developed for workers.

According to Mr Ferguson, the introduction of the new career path has left employees who qualified for promotion under the previous scale uncertain about their status.

“We are concerned about getting that rectified, because when you implement something new and there was something that was old, you are impacting the terms and conditions of these particular individuals,” he said. He added that the new system should not have been implemented without consultation with the union.

Mr Ferguson also highlighted the irony of DICT staff, many of whom work inside the Office of the Prime Minister, having to leave their desks to protest outside, describing the situation as “disappointing.”

He called on the government to resolve the workers’ grievances before the next general election, noting that DICT staff play a critical role in ensuring government agencies can deliver digital services. He further urged the prime minister, Mr Halkitis and other officials to meet with union representatives to address the concerns.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) evolved from the government’s Information and Communications Technology operations (ICT) and is responsible for overseeing digital systems across the public sector.

Jannette Pratt, a senior system network officer, said line staff within the department have not been reclassified or promoted for years despite the introduction of a new ICT scale.

Ms Pratt said that under the new scale, only five executive managers have benefited through promotions, reclassifications and back pay, while line staff remain uncertain about when they will receive similar consideration.

“Within the next two weeks or so, we just need management to come and sit with us, just to give us a word, to tell us what is going on,” she said. “They have already been straight. They are locked into the scale. We now need to know what’s happening with us, and that’s why we’re here.”

Asked whether recent industrial action by nurses over unpaid overtime influenced DICT staff to protest, Ms Pratt said it did. She noted that some DICT officers would be responsible for processing the nurses’ back pay.