The Tribune

BY ANNELIA NIXON

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

THE BAHAMAS Union of Teachers (BUT) president yesterday urged the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union (BTCU) to resume negotiations with livery operators to resolve their escalating dispute but this was rejected by the latter’s appeal.

Belinda Wilson, who is also head of the  Bahamas National Alliance Trade Union Congress (BNATUC) umbrella union, in a voice note said she remains convinced there is a workable path forward for both taxi and livery drivers, and called on the BTCU to resume discussions with the Bahamas Livery Drivers Union.

However, taxi union president, Tyrone Butler, has flatly rejected the appeal, insisting livery drivers must first comply with the law. Mrs Wilson’s appeal comes as tensions between the two sectors continue to threaten disruption to the tourism industry, with the taxi union having renewed its threat of industrial action over the presence and operations of livery drivers at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA).

“The Bahamas Livery Drivers Union is an affiliate of the Bahamas National Alliance Trade Union Congress,” Mrs Wilson said. “Last year, the BNATUC attended a series of meetings with livery and the taxi unions. We met with stakeholders from Road Traffic, NAD, the Airport Authority, and we discussed the concerns of both unions.”

She added that a steering committee was subsequently established with representatives from the BNATUC, Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), Road Traffic, the Airport Authority, the taxi union and the livery union.

According to Mrs Wilson, the committee was presented with a written proposal from the Bahamas Livery Drivers Union aimed at improving the transportation system and addressing concerns raised by both industries. The proposal included colour coding to distinguish taxis from livery vehicles, the establishment of a help desk and call-up system, designated parking spaces, greater Road Traffic oversight and NAD greeters.

“This proposal was to assist with the improvement of the transportation sector,” Mrs Wilson said. She added that the discussions continued when the BNATUC and livery union met with Jobeth Coleby-Davis, former transport and energy minister, where they raised concerns including the over-saturation of the transportation industry.

Mrs Wilson said the BNATUC believed progress was being made until the taxi union indicated it would no longer participate in discussions if livery operators remained at the table. “The BNATUC was of the view that we were making strides to address the concerns, but the taxi union informed that they will not continue any further dialogue once livery is at the table,” she said.

“We are still of the view that the proposal is workable, and there can be a win-win for taxi and livery to make a living to feed their families.” Mrs Wilson is now appealing directly to the taxi union to reconsider its position.

“So I appeal to the taxi union to come back to the table with livery, and let’s continue to discuss, review and amend the proposal as necessary,” she said.

“The BNATUC and the Bahamas Livery Drivers Union, we are prepared to meet, and we are willing to work together to ensure the best for both unions and, by extension, the transportation industry and an improvement in our tourism product.”

But Mr Butler dismissed the appeal, arguing that the BNATUC should instead be telling its affiliate to comply with existing laws governing airport operations.

“Mrs Belinda Wilson, what she should do actually is advise her affiliate member to follow the law,” he said. “She should start there instead of inviting the taxi drivers to come and sit with her members… to come and work out an arrangement for them to be given privilege.”

Mr Butler maintained that the BTCU has no interest in negotiating an arrangement that, in his view, would legitimise livery operations at the airport without the necessary legal authority.

“She’s asking the wrong union for that privilege,” he said. “So she could start by just respecting the law, and asking her client or affiliate member just respect the law before we could even talk.”

Mr Butler said the issue is particularly personal for him because he was previously part of the same umbrella organisation before the taxi union moved to the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

“When I first became president, I was part of that same umbrella, and that was one of the main reasons why we left and went to the Trades Union Congress because nobody’s going to ask us to sit with people who have no legal standing,” he said. “Livery drivers were never gazetted to work at the airport.”

He challenged Ms Wilson to instead ask her affiliate to suspend its airport operations until the legal framework changes. “If Belinda Wilson want to talk about sitting, tell her just sit her people down until the law provides for them to be out there hustling,” Mr Butler said.

The BTCU has previously warned that it has exhausted its patience with the Government and does not see a resolution without industrial action. The Trade Union Congress has also pledged its support for taxi drivers, raising concerns that any industrial action could have significant implications for tourism and airport transportation.

The Ministry of Transport has maintained that the two sides should meet, negotiate in good faith and reach a mutually acceptable agreement, while the livery union has disputed claims that it was included in an agreement reportedly reached between the Government and taxi operators.