NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) founding member Dr Thomas Bastian has died, the union has advised.
In a statement, the BHCAWU said: “It is with sad regret that the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union acknowledges to death of a true hero and founding member of the union, Dr Thomas Bastian.
“Dr Bastian died today, September 22nd, 2021.
“He served the union diligently for 18 years — from 1982 to 2000. Indeed, Bastian was the longest-serving president of the hotel union and will be missed by all.
“Bastian was a man of many ideas. Among his accomplishments, he opened the Workers Bank on Harold Road; Workers Laundry; Workers Day Care Center; a multimillion-dollar complex known as Workers House on Harold Road.
“Bastian also kept alive the Worker’s Pension Fund. Under his portfolio, he was also in charge of the advancement of the housing projects for hotel workers throughout the Family Islands, among other such initiatives.”
BHCAWU President Darrin Woods said Bastian was a visionary who was not short on ideas that made the union work.
“He was tenacious and a masterful player who played at the top of his game,” Woods said.
“He was the one who started collective bargaining and set the tone legislatively. He was well-rounded and he empowered [the] union from such perspective.
“He also served [at the] National Workers Co-operative Credit Union, which became a saving arm of the union in many regards.”
Eyewitness News understands last rites and funeral arrangements will be made at a later date.
Condolences are extended to Bastian’s surviving family and friends.
