The Tribune

NELERENE Harding, a veteran of the labour movement in the Bahamas for more than 30 years and president of the Airport, Airline and Allied Workers Union (AAAWU), has died. She was 52.

Shane Gibson, the Minister of Labour, paid tribute to Ms Harding on Thursday as “one of the stalwarts of the labour movement” and “a role model for young and aspiring trade unionists”.

“Ms Harding served with distinction in the labour movement for over 30 years, and worked in many capacities in the AAAWU eventually rising to the post of President, the position she held at the time of her death,” Mr Gibson said in a statement. The AAAWU represents non-managerial workers of Bahamasair and Nassau Flight Services.

Mr Gibson said he had met Ms Harding, a Long Islander, in the early 1980s when he served as a shop steward in the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union.

“My respect for her abilities as a Trade Unionist was solidified when we both served as executives in the National Congress of Trade Unions of The Bahamas where she rose to the position of Third Vice-President,” he said.

“Additionally, she was a past member of the Board of Directors of the National Workers Co-operative Credit Union.

“Not one to rest on her laurels, Ms Harding sharpened her skills when she represented The Bahamas in many training workshops held internationally. She used her knowledge for the benefit of the worker. Her latest feat was to conclude and sign an Industrial Agreement for the non-management employees of Bahamasair. She was a visionary leader, specialising in employee benefits with particular emphasis on pension and medical plans. In fact, she served as a Master Trustee of the International Benefits Association, an international association which deals with employee benefits and pensions.

“Nelerene Harding was a role model for young and aspiring trade unionists – she was skilled, knowledgeable and unwavering in her pursuit of rights for the workers she served selflessly.”