The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

1957: Nassau International Airport opens. One hundred protesting taxi drivers block access to the new airport for 24 hours.

1958: In support of 1957's protests, a 16-day General Strike brings Nassau to a screeching halt. Unionised or not, just about every worker participated, and the strike was quite peaceful. The result was the Trade Union and Industrial Conciliation Act and the setting up of a Labour Department.

The two points above remind us of what a illegal strike looks like, when workers do not have a legal framework to refer to. The Minister of Labour has called the current airport "strike" illegal, but I think he needs to find stronger language. The Leader of the DNA has criticised the government for not respecting some of the highly trained professionals in the Customs Department and Immigration because Defence Force Officers are being used to keep the business of the nation functioning. I did not know how serious the situation had become, until I read a story on CBS and FOX news about the airport strike in Nassau. A local union official is quoted, and these news sources state that the airport strike will continue until May 7th.

I was taken back by the Prime Minister when he said that he would remember those persons involved; I understand what he means now.

The story came out on April 14 and can be Googled, which will show that some of the Travel Guide sites have picked up the story also. If the union wanted to make a point, I think they have really made their point; it is at the public's expense and only time will tell how we take the point they have made.

What can drive Bahamians to do something like this? Does entitlement mean so much that some of us are prepared to sacrifice a vital part of an economy that is just coming out of recession? Maybe this is why the leader of the Opposition says that we are losing ground in tourism in the Caribbean, but the jury is out as to who is involved in this particular escapade. I did not see anything on CNN, BBC or Reuters and I hope that CBS and FOX are the only services that have the story. News of an airport strike that goes to May 7th is not good news for this country and I do not care what side of the political divide you are on. The union and its leadership will not have to answer to the government on this "decision", they are going to have to answer to the Bahamian public. It would have been a better strategy to use stalling tactics until May 7th, under the guise of negotiating, but this event has taken a turn that many of us will not recover from. It has been a usual practice for political parties to recruit labour leaders who show promise, it is not likely that this will be happening in this instance.

EDWARD HUTCHESON

Nassau,

April 17, 2012.

(Not only was this heard on CBS and Fox News, but the Associated Press sent out quite a long story on its international wire service, which means that it got worldwide distribution. In fact what was broadcast on these television stations was the first paragraph of the AP story. Newspapers published the full story. Undoubtedly, the story has done its intended damage to our tourist industry.

(Many Bahamians believe that this strike was politically motivated and encouraged. If this is so, then there are Bahamians amongst us who are willing to scuttle this nation's struggling economy just to achieve their own selfish goals. We hope that more than the Prime Minister remembers this. Bahamians who go to the polls should also remember and vote accordingly. -- Ed).