The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowlge@tribunemedia.net

A SENIOR negotiator for the government says talks are 99.9 percent complete regarding contractual articles with the Bahamas Union of Teachers.

Lester Turnquest said on Friday there were now “one or two bones of contention”.

He spoke to reporters after the signing of the Bahamas Educators, Counsellors and Allied Workers Union’s industrial agreement with the government.

BUT president Belinda Wilson previously told teachers to get ready to take industrial action on August 22, insisting the government has had ample time to bring closure to matters of concern for educators.

Mr Turnquest gave an update to the media on negotiations.

“I’ve noted the comments by the union president and at this stage of the negotiations we are, in fact in her own words, 99.9 percent completed with the contractual articles,” he said. “There are now simply one or two bones of contention. We think that it’s going to be resolved amicably and in the fullness of time we will arrive at a contractual signing for the BUT as we did today with the BECWA.

“…When the government appointed a labour unit the objective was to deliver to the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas industrial peace.”

Asked if there was any progress made, he said: “I know that I’m in daily contact with Mrs Wilson. As recent as two evenings ago I reached out to her to ascertain the extent to which the adjustments in some of the articles would attract her approval but I think all of the fingers on my hand are varied lengths and its the same with us as human beings and so I think in the arc of the universe that we will get completion on the BUT agreement.”

While at the signing, BECWA president Sandra Major noted her union received increase in salary, retention bonuses, increased allowances and rental assistance among other things.

The senior negotiator assured fairness in the negotiating posture.

“All that was offered to BECWA upstairs, all of those same arrangements were offered to the BUT and I would say no more than that because we’re in negotiation but there’s been no imbalance or unfairness in the negotiating posture,” he said.

“I think we all as individuals need to look within ourselves and ask what’s most important and I have discern from this team what is most important is delivery of value to the people and taxpayers of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and to ensure the delivery of excellent, not average, excellent service to the taxpayers and particularly the patients at the hospital for example and also the teachers and the students who are the most important resource.”

Also at the signing was Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin who said that this generation deserves an opportunity and it should not be interrupted.

She added: “Come August 22 the children of this nation should go to the classroom and they should find stability in their education. They deserve that.”

On the negotiation for BUT, she referred to the negotiating team to advise on that matter as she does not sit at the table for negotiation. However, she further emphasised the importance for education not to be disrupted.

“As I’ve indicated earlier, we are trusting that the young people of this nation will not face a disruption in their education. Education is a human right. Not only is it a human right, within a context of a pandemic where in islands they didn’t have reliable internet - they couldn’t go virtual. Abaco had Dorian and pandemic and they suffered greatly. And in New Providence, particularly inner city communities -economically challenged households,” the minister said.

“We don’t want them to suffer anymore. We would like to get them in the classroom back on track so that they can begin to stimulate their intellect, stabilise emotionally and be able to achieve their objectives and their destiny really as human beings. So that’s what their hoping. We do not wish to see any disruption, particularly in the context of what is happened in this country - it would be atrocious.”

Asked if there was a plan if industrial did go on, she replied: “Well I don’t want to anticipate an issue that we are not yet faced with. Certainly, we are trusting that the education of the young people, Bahamian children will have the opportunity to capture what has already been lost in the last two years.”

Meanwhile, Mr Turnquest spoke about the negotiations for nurses describing it as “very encouraging”.

They have a lot of goodwill,” he told The Tribune. “I can’t imagine the negotiations with the nurses union going over more than another week.”

“I think the key issues have been settled and I am advised that the retention bonus is an element of the negotiation that nurses will embrace as well.”

Cindira Bain, manager of the Industrial Relations Unit, said: “I would like to say that I believe that the nurses union is about 99 percent completed on their industrial agreement and that would be on the PHA side as well as the Department of Public Service.

“We have just concluded their financial package yesterday and all of the financial articles attached to that industrial agreement . So I believe in a few days or so we should be a position to sign off on the nurses union industrial agreement.”