NASSAU, BAHAMAS- Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) President Kimsley Ferguson has called on his membership to join a march today on the House of Assembly to protest salary disparities and long-standing unresolved labor issues, as Parliament meets this morning.
In a message to union members on Tuesday night, Ferguson said the protest was prompted by mounting frustration over persistent inequalities in pay between high-ranking government officials and lower-level public servants, alongside the government’s failure to fulfill compensation commitments made earlier this year.
Ferguson noted that some permanent secretaries receive responsibility allowances greater than the entire annual salary of workers such as janitors, messengers, general service staff, and clerks. He reminded members that in June, the government pledged to issue salary increases of 3–8 percent to civil servants who were left out of the initial rollout of the compensation study. Those payments were expected in September but never materialised.
Instead, the union was informed that the increases would now be paid in December through monthly increments with limited back pay—an offer Ferguson called insufficient and disrespectful given the critical roles public servants play across the country.
He also pointed to several other unresolved matters, including outstanding promotions, transfers, and reclassifications; unpaid overtime and hazard pay; the unresolved employment status of long-serving weekly-paid workers; and compensation owed to University of The Bahamas employees dating back to 2018. Ferguson emphasised that, to date, no official date has been set for negotiations on a new industrial agreement.
Ferguson drew a sharp contrast between the benefits given to senior civil servants and the sacrifices made by everyday workers. He said permanent secretaries enjoy perks such as housing allowances, full insurance coverage, government vehicles with fuel and maintenance, paid mobile phones, and responsibility allowances as high as $24,000 per year. Many of these senior officials qualify for a pension after just ten years of service, while regular public servants must work until age 65 to receive theirs.
“These individuals are living off the fat of the land, while the burden is being carried by you, the workers,” Ferguson said. “This government continues to claim it is labor-friendly, but its actions say otherwise.”
Today’s march is set to begin at the City Meat parking lot, opposite the Southern Recreation Grounds, and will proceed to Bay Street ahead of the House of Assembly’s morning session. There, BPSU members plan to voice their frustrations and demand concrete action.
