BEMU & BECAWU Satisfied After Meeting With Prime Minister

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Two major education unions say they are walking away satisfied after what they described as a productive meeting with Prime Minister Philip Davis on Thursday.

The talks provided long-awaited clarity on salary adjustments for their members under the government’s national salary review and confirmation that payments will be made before Christmas.

The meeting brought together leaders from the Bahamas Educators Managerial Union (BEMU) and the Bahamas Educators, Counselors and Allied Workers Union (BECAWU) to address lingering concerns about how their members were being represented in the review process.

Managers and Supervisors Initially Left Out

BEMU President Stephen McPhee explained that this was the union’s second meeting with the Prime Minister.

He said it was both constructive and necessary, as managers and supervisors within the Ministry and Department of Education were mistakenly excluded from the initial review.

“Just like the first, we got results. We were pleased with what was agreed and discussed. We were that special grouping that somehow fell off the radar, but we were able to put some positions forward,” McPhee said.

McPhee added that the Prime Minister acknowledged the error and committed to fixing it immediately. He says the union expects its members to receive the same salary adjustments as their counterparts by the promised deadline.

“We know that the director and the deputy director would’ve been included. And as they are posts in our career path, our claim was that managers and supervisors should have been considered and treated the same,” he explained.

Teachers Included in Final Plan

For BECAWU, President Sandra Major described the meeting as positive and productive, noting that teachers were initially not included in the review but have now been formally added.

“We understand that this is the Prime Minister’s gift to us as teachers. At the beginning, we were not on the list, but he has assured us that teachers are included. By December, it is promised that we will have what has been promised to us,” Major said.

Protests Continue Outside OPM

While both education unions had their concerns addressed, the Bahamas National Alliance of Trade Union Congress (BNATUC) was not invited to the meeting, prompting them to stage a second day of mass protests outside the Office of the Prime Minister.

When asked why BECAWU didn’t join the demonstrations, Major said there was no reason to take that approach.

“We saw no need to participate in any action taken because our employees’ rights were not violated,” she said.