The Tribune

By Natario McKenzie

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The government’s top labour official yesterday said the Water & Sewerage Corporation’s (WSC) line staff union appears to be on track to resolving its grievances with executive management.

John Pinder, director of labour, speaking at an International Labour Organisation (ILO) workshop at the National Training Agency (NTA), confirmed that both the managerial and line-staff union at the corporation have been given strike certificates. 

Speaking to the line staff union, Mr Pinder said: “With regards to the Bahamas Utilities Service and Allied Workers Union (BUSAWU), their matter is being resolved. A meeting is scheduled for next week, I believe, to

resolve their issues.

“It is only a matter of the president getting himself sorted out to get back in the workplace. I don’t see that as a big issue. I believe that matter will go away very soon. That should be resolved favourably.”

The line-staff union has been at odds with the corporation for several months over multiple issues, including talks over a new industrial agreement. Tensions between executive chairman, Adrian Gibson, and union president, Dwayne Woods, peaked in April as an industrial dispute escalated into allegations of sabotage and threats of lawsuits.

Both the line staff and managerial union demonstrated outside the corporation’s University Drive headquarters last month in what was termed a “withdrawal of enthusiasm”.