The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

LABOUR Minister Shane Gibson yesterday challenged the members of the Trade Union of Congress to meet with him at his office at 9am today “to resolve all their issues once and for all.”

Speaking with the press on day two of a strike involving several unions that fall under the umbrella organisation, Mr Gibson said it is unfortunate the industrial action had to be taken. However, he is still willing to meet and

negotiate in good faith with the TUC and its member unions.

Some workers continued to strike yesterday morning despite the government obtaining a Supreme Court injunction ordering them to return to work. However, officials could not say how many of those workers continued the strike.

“If they want to meet tomorrow morning at 9, my office is open,” Mr Gibson said. “I will cancel everything I have to do tomorrow so that they can come and sit down and we could cause Customs and Immigration in particular to begin and enjoy the same benefits as was negotiated by the BPSU (Bahamas Public Services Union) for public officers,” Mr Gibson said.

“Nurses have issues that we could resolve right away. If they want to sit down and talk, I will wipe my weekend schedule clear. If they want to meet on Saturday, Sunday, Monday morning – whenever they want to meet – I’m available as the minister of the public service and the minister responsible for labour to sit and try have all of these matters resolved, if you want to resolve it. If the idea is not to resolve it then, of course, you won’t come. “So I invite them to meet me at my office at 9 in the morning, bring their entire laundry list of concerns, and we can have their matters all resolved, bearing in mind that we have one government and one Treasury. You have to be reasonable. If the idea is not to be reasonable and not to resolve issues, then you will continue to entrench yourself in that position.”

When asked if the union is willing to sit down and discuss it’s issue with the minister, TUC President Obie Ferguson said he had to “meet with his members first” and weigh their options.

It was unclear up to press time how many members of the Bahamas Nurses Union remained off the job yesterday.

Department heads at the Public Hospital Authority and Customs and Immigration departments said on Wednesday that “contingency plans” were in place to minimise any impact that the strike may have had. They said despite having a shortage in staff, all the institutions “ran smoothly”.

The strike began on Wednesday morning. Representatives from several organisations that fall under the TUC, including Customs and Immigration and the Nurses union, walked off their jobs around 8:30am in protest against “the government’s failure to address their issues”.

On Wednesday it was reported that of the 330 nurses who were scheduled for the 8am to 4pm shift at the Princess Margaret Hospital, Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre and Grand Bahama Health Services only 161 showed up for work, 166 did not.

On Grand Bahama, more than 100 hotel workers, Customs & Immigration officers, and nurses did not report for work on Wednesday. There were also reports that a few nurses stationed at several Family Island clinics also took part in the strike.