NASSAU, BAHAMAS – President of The Bahamas Public Service Union Kimsley Ferguson said that his union is still waiting to negotiate with the government on the proposed Industrial Agreement.
Ferguson provided Eyewitness News with an update on the status of the negotiations on Friday afternoon. He was responding to a voice note shared by Minister of Public Service Fred Mitchell on Friday morning, congratulating the team at the Ministry of the Public Service for bringing labour and public sector-related contracts to conclusion.
“Today, every word that was emphatically stated in our demonstration downtown is not a misrepresentation of the facts, and I call into question the integrity of those that are making that particular claim,” Ferguson said. “And we want to invite them as leaders of this country to be mindful of what the preamble of the Constitution states in relation to depriving persons and having their labours exploited.”
Ferguson also responded to Mitchell’s claims of the union being disrespectful by publicly airing out the situation, rather than negotiating privately with the government.
“During the course of time when this administration was in opposition, they would answer your call on the second ring. Today, you call their phones they don’t answer at all,” Ferguson added. “And so we’ve been reaching out to a number of persons in the public service, inclusive of the substantive minister of state and a minister for the public service.
“And so when we are unable to get you via phone or get a response from you on communications that we would have sent, then we have to come where you are; and so while he is entitled to deem it as disrespectful, the squeaky wheel gets the oil.”
The BPSU President explained that the government would be breaking the law if it follows through with the published paperwork, which would imply that negotiations were made.
“I want to invite the substantive Minister of the Public Service and the Minister of State for the Public Service to give dates and times when the Bahamas Public Services Union would have met.
“Now we have Amendment 2017 of the Industrial Relations Act that suggests upon receipt of a proposal from a recognised trade union. It says that the union and the employer shall meet to commence collective bargaining.
“I want to restate and reiterate it never took place,” Ferguson continued. “The government met with every other trade union, and I can say that for a fact, because all of my other colleagues would have made me aware of the days on which they would have been negotiating. We have yet to sit to the table and commence our negotiations process.”
He said that among themselves, a meeting consisting of the BUT President, the General Secretary of the BNATUC and executives of the BPSU was arranged and they went to the Department of Labour.
“It was agreed that they would endeavor to get hard copies of these so-called industrial agreements in our hands for our consideration,” said Ferguson. “It was indicated that the government had already began cleaning up the documents for signing. How can you clean up something that was not forwarded to the person’s concerned for their consideration?
“We reiterate the same; the stance that we’ve taken has not changed, and so I wouldn’t invite some people to be genuine, and to be honest, that is what we expect from the leaders of our country.”
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