“It’s Our Money, Just Give It To Us”

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Dozens of disgruntled workers poured out of buses outside the Office of The Prime Minister Thursday morning, calling for the prime minister to address what they describe as an unacceptable neglect of salary reviews and industrial agreements.

Terrance Wallace – Worker, University of The Bahamas

“This my money I need it now…I need it now it’s been too long,” he said.

The group, led by Bahamas Public Services Union President, Kimsley Ferguson, says they’re fed up with a lack of movement.

Workers at the University of The Bahamas are still waiting for a salary review agreed to by the university and the union.

The government rolled out its first phase of salary reviews and adjustments last month, but those at UB were reportedly left out.

“We have a document attached here as well where the Acting President Mrs Hodder has discourse with the Financial Secretary Mr Simon Wilson and agreed….that this salary review here for UB would have been done as the same time as that of the public servants.

“Well that has since been passed and Mr. Wilson has not saw it fit to execute the salary review for the University of The Bahamas,” Ferguson said.

Terrance Wallace has been a truck driver at the university since 2000.

He says the cost of living, along with the lack of respect for line staff, makes the outstanding review long over due.

“We are getting victimized whether we come here or not, so it don’t really make a difference no more,” Wallace said.

However that’s not all, Ferguson says there are still outstanding issues with Public Hospital Authorities workers as well.

Also, employees at the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation say they’ve been left out as well.

Shop steward Lavette Small explains:

“It’s in our industrial agreement article 42, and it states that salary increase and benefits will be based on what is approved for the general public. So this is the first time, the first minister who comes out and say we are not included, we are not entitled ,when it says right here we are entitled to it,” she says.

The Ministry of Labour released a statement earlier this month saying institutions like UB are governed by independent boards, that maintain their own pay scales.

It adds their employees were not eligible for inclusion in the latest tranche of salary adjustments, something the union was aware of.

However, Ferguson is not buying it:

“These persons are entitled to whatever the public service gets. It’s written in a document, it’s legal binding and it’s an enforceable document,” he said.