The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Union of Auxiliary Professionals in Education (BUAPE) has officially been recognised as the bargaining agent for non-managerial staff at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI).

This follows a determination poll held on December 12, 2024, which revoked the status of the Bahamas General Workers Union (BGWU) as the representative body for BTVI staff.

During a press conference yesterday, BUAPE president Ernesto Williams outlined the challenges faced by line staff and the journey to forming the new union. He highlighted years of dissatisfaction and neglect of staff concerns under previous union leadership and BTVI management. 

“Line staff at BTVI were pushed to the brink of exhaustion, overwhelmed by frustration and barely ever considered,” Mr Williams said. “Under past leadership, BTVI faced constant disrespect, blatant violations of their rights, unacceptably low wages, and no clear paths for career growth.”

Mr Williams described several long-standing issues, including employees hired on month-to-month contracts that lasted for years, unpaid overtime, and a lack of transparency in salary determinations. 

He referred to the institution as “a manager’s and president’s playground” where job security and staff rights were undermined.

According to Mr Williams, in 2019 BTVI employees sought representation from the Bahamas Public Service Union (BPSU) but could not move forward due to the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, they transitioned to the Bahamas General Workers Union (BGWU), marking the first successful unionisation of BTVI staff. However, Mr Williams explained that relations with the BGWU soured after a “secret industrial agreement” was signed on March 1, 2023, between BTVI management and the union.

“Union members had repeatedly called meetings with BGWU, raising urgent concerns about the industrial agreement,” he said. “Line staff even previously united on their own terms, lawyered up, and launched attempts to converse with their own union leadership to craft an IA that would represent their real requests and interests. All were to no avail.”

He added that when details of the agreement were revealed, employees felt “silenced, abandoned, and betrayed” as the agreement provided “little to no tangible benefits”.

This dissatisfaction led to the establishment of BUAPE, officially registered in October 2023. 

According to Mr Williams, the new union was created by BTVI staff to provide effective representation and advocate for better working conditions. 

Following the December determination poll, BUAPE was confirmed as the new bargaining agent for non-managerial staff at BTVI. 

BUAPE has since reached out to BTVI leadership to schedule an introductory meeting. 

The meeting, according to Mr Williams, is intended to introduce BUAPE executives, outline staff concerns, and begin preparing for negotiations for a new industrial agreement to replace the one expiring in June 2025.

Despite recognition by the Ministry of Public Service and Labor, Mr Williams noted that BTVI leadership has not yet formally engaged with BUAPE. 

He questioned whether the move was a potential “stall tactic” and reiterated that communication from the ministry has been clear. 

“The Industrial Relations Act of the country and its amendments speaks very clearly to who has the determining factor with this regard,” he said. “And that determining factor does indeed rest in the Department of Labor, in its mission, in its mandate, and, of course, in law.”

Mr Williams also expressed concern about staff morale, citing the resignation of at least 15 employees since 2021, including long-serving administrators and managers.

“It speaks a level of concern. Any competent and committed leader should see that this number of resignations is alarming,” he said.