National

DICT Staff Protest Over Promotions, Reclassification, And Regularization

NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS – Public servants from the Department of Information and Communications Technology are demanding long-awaited promotions, reclassification, and regularization saying years of delays have left frontline ICT workers overlooked and undervalued.

Published

4 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Delvardo Emmanuel

Union leaders and staff gathered outside the Office of the Prime Minister this morning, calling for urgent talks with senior government officials.

Our News Delvardo Emmanuel reports.

“ We are not happy that we are here. It’s cold. We are not happy that we are here, but we are here today because we want our voices to be heard. “ – Jeanette Pratt

They’re the people behind payroll systems, online government services, and national networks often unseen, but essential.

Frontline dict staff say they’ve been asking for meetings with officials for years, seeking promotions, reclassification, and regularization.

They also claim a new DICT pay scale that was rolled out only benefits a small group of senior managers.

While some received promotions and back pay, many line staff say they are still waiting.

Among the workers speaking out is Senior Systems Network Officer Jeanette Pratt, who says frontline dict staff have waited years for promotions and answers.

“ We have been in the trenches and most of the times what we find out is that we are like the lost child, like persons only know of us. When there’s trouble, so for example, in COVID, we kept the country going, but you, you do not know our names. You do not even know the name of our department. So persons only calling us when there’s some kind of trouble or there’s some kind of a problem to resolve.” – Jeanette Pratt

Backing the workers is the Bahamas Public Service Union.

Bahamas Public Services Union President Kimsley Ferguson says morale and advancement among workers have been ignored for far too long.

“ While these people should have had it from 2017, we wanted before election. We know these people, everybody busy campaigning, trying to get elected, and they are disregarding the work that these people are doing.This is the most vital area in the public service.” – Kimsley Ferguson

Our News reached out to Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle.

She told us her ministry has attempted to reach both the Director of DICT and Union President Kimsley Ferguson to get a full understanding of the issues and concerns.

Glover-Rolle says once that happens, the ministry will take steps to address them.

“ We’ve been made a number of promises. It appears as if people categorize us in a fall that away we are not gonna accept that. I’m going to tell you. Causes of action will be considered if we don’t get an audience in a very short timeframe.” – Kimsley Ferguson