The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A trade union leader yesterday expressed frustration that “not one” Bahamian employer has sought to include worker productivity clauses in industrial agreements he has negotiated, arguing that this would benefit the entire country.

Obie Ferguson, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) president, told Tribune Business that despite frequently bemoaning worker productivity and efficiency, companies were doing very little to improve these key areas in practice.

“If the employers and unions were to get together and develop some kind of protocol that maximised on efficiency, maximised on productivity, I think things would be different,” Mr Ferguson told Tribune Business.

“The employers will talk it on TV and radio, but they will not sit down and negotiate a productivity clause in these Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).

“I’ve tried to do this over and over repeatedly. They [companies] keep complaining about the level of productivity that’s there. Why not sit down and develop productivity schemes that include everything you’re asking for, and impact on the situation?” Mr Ferguson added.

“I can’t get the employers in the Bahamas to sit down and talk about that.”

The TUC president, and prominent labour counsel, said it was only his fellow attorney, the late Reginald Lobosky, who had attempted to develop worker productivity clauses and terms with him.

“I can’t get anyone to sit down and establish a benchmark for performance,” Mr Ferguson told Tribune Business. “What yardstick do you have to say that workers are not performing at that level?

“You should have some kind of yardstick to measure that productivity or everything together.... Why not get people into productivity mode? It improves the workers, the country and everything.”

The TUC leader also scolded organisers of last week’s Bahamas Business Outlook conference for failing to invite union and worker representatives to give presentations and be present.

“How are you going to build a country without the workers?” he asked. “It’s important to hear the workers’ views at Business Outlook.

“You have capital, you have the Government.. what happened to the workers? The workers have a view that may not be accepted by the employers, and may not be agreed with, but at the end of the day a formula has to be worked out between employers and employees as to how to move this country forward. No one wants the Bahamas to be seen in a negative light.”