Belinda Wilson Re-elected As BNATUC President

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Bahamas National Alliance of Trade Union Congress has re-elected Belinda Wilson as president of the nation’s newest umbrella union, and according to Wilson, the plan is to continue serving the nine affiliate unions under its belt.

Back in May 2022, Wilson, who is also the Bahamas Union of Teachers President, announced the formation of the new congress.

Wilson says the congress will continue to guide its affiliates.

“We have a full team that’s been elected, and we look forward to serving all of our affiliates. We have nine affiliated, and we are there to support, them and to help give guidance as we try to represent our various unions and associates to the best of our ability,” Wilson said.

The BNATUC joined two existing ones, the Trade Union Congress and the National Congress of Trade Unions.

Bahamas Public Services Union President, Kimsley Ferguson, will serve as BNATUC’ first vice president.

The BNATUC includes the Airport Airline and Allied Workers Union, the Bahamas Financial Services Union, the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union, the Bahamas Public Services Union, the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union, the Bahamas Union of Teachers, the Police Staff Association and the Correctional Officers Staff Association.

Over the past years, Wilson says the congress has been consistently having quarterly meetings with the Minister of Labour and Public Service.

“There are some things that we were able to resolve, there are others that were unresolved. Something that we also appreciate as a congress is that some of the legislation that the government is looking at for the Industrial Relations Act and the Employment Act, we’ve been able to have our input into all of those. As recently as last week, there was a session with all of the union stakeholders,” Wilson said.

Meanwhile, Wilson explains that there are still outstanding concerns for the BNATUC, and one of them is the system that the government plans to roll out this August to manage human resource and accounting for the more than 20,000 civil servants.

“Today we met with the consultants for Oracle, we have major concerns about the implementation of Oracle, we have demanded that when, back in the room, the financial secretary be present, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Finance, be present. We want people who are in the room who are able to make decisions as to how the Oracle will be fully implemented and rolled out,” she said.