Dept. Of Information Staff Protest for a Second Time in 2 Weeks

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – The time for talk is over for fed up Department of Information and Communications technology workers. They protested outside the Office of the Prime Minister on Tuesday morning, along with the leader of the Bahamas Public Service Union, Kimsley Ferguson.

The BPSU chief told reporters that a missed meeting with the prime minister and what he called failed talks with two other cabinet ministers, had 80 D.I.C.T. staffers at the breaking point.

As our Jasmin Brown tells us in this report, this is not the first time they’ve taken action outside of the Office of the Prime Minister.

Jasmin Brown

“Those D.I.C.T workers were out here at the Office of the Prime Minister for the second time this month, where they’re continuing to voice their concerns over outstanding issues”

Workers greeted members of the Davis-led cabinet arriving at the Office of the Prime Minister, where nearly a dozen workers gathered with placards that spoke to their plight.

They even caught the attention of former trade unionist and public service minister in the last PLP administration Shane Gibson, who was leaving the Office of the Prime Minister at the time.

The issues are the same that were outlined at a February 4th protest at this very same location.

They demanded long-awaited promotions, reclassification, and regularization, saying years of delays have left frontline ICT workers overlooked and undervalued.

Terou Bannister was one of several workers awaiting reclassification after 27 years.

Terou Bannister – Analyst, Dpt. Of Information and Communications Technology

“One of the biggest issues is the lack of communication between the management and staff regarding what’s been going on in the last three years”

A lack of communication that prompted another protest according to Bahamas Public Services Union president, Kimsley Ferguson.

Ferguson claims they’ve exhausted all talks with Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle and Economic Minister Michael Halkitis. He also claims they have now taken their plight to Prime Minister Philip Davis.

Ferguson says after several attempts to contact the PM he finally got a call from Davis.
A meeting was scheduled for this week, only to find out the PM is out of the country.

Kimsley Ferguson – President, Bahamas Public Services Union

“I want to assume that the prime minister was not aware of what his schedule would have been like. I’m gonna make an excuse for him this morning, but however if that was the case then someone should have reached out to us and advised us because something has to be rescheduled because the prime minister has prior commitments. It’s only respectful.”

Our News reached out to the Office of the Prime Minister for a response to Ferguson’s claims. They confirmed the prime minister is currently out attending the 50th regular meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government that’s being held in St. Kitts and Nevis.

Meantime, Ferguson says D.I.C.T workers won’t be silenced.

Kimsley Ferguson – President, Bahamas Public Services Union

“We’re exhausting diplomacy and we’re making sure that if action is taken we are exhausting every other avenue before we took any other action that is going to impact the Bahamian public and we want to appeal to them that we don’t want them be of the view that they are the victims. But the victims here are the people standing behind me this morning.”