By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

CUSTOMS and Immigration Officers who do not adhere to the shift system will face pay cuts, Labour Minister Shane Gibson confirmed yesterday.

Mr Gibson said the Bahamas Customs and Immigration and Allied Workers Union was the only bargaining agent that had yet to settle an industrial agreement with the government.

He added that the union could not legally act on its strike vote because the matter had been referred to the Industrial Tribunal.

“Officers that are not working their assigned shift, for those officers who showed up at nine when they were supposed to show up at four.

“If you didn’t work, you cannot expect to be paid,” Mr Gibson said.

He added: “We have settled with all the other unions, the only one outstanding is Customs and Immigration because they are being unreasonable.”

Workers voted on Friday to determine whether to go on strike to protest the government’s failure to address their concerns, including giving medical insurance to more than 300 clerical staff at the Customs and Immigration department.

Union officials yesterday said that a request for a strike certificate was requested from the Department of Labour, adding that the certificate is valid for one year.

At a press conference last week, then acting Labour Minister Alfred Gray revealed that some officers have refused to work their assigned hours despite a court ruling ordering them to remain on the shift system.

Speaking with the press, Mr Gray said before the ruling, both parties agreed they would return to the bargaining table to resume negotiations, however the union has not shown good faith.

Mr Gray said: “It should be noted that the ruling issued by the Honourable Justice Ian Winder (acting) did not invalidate the shift system nor did it state the shift system should be suspended. Additionally, the filing of a writ does not have the effect of reverting officer’s hours of work from 9am to 5pm.

“Consequently, the present status quo, being the shift system, must remain until an order of the court says otherwise....Failure and refusal of these officers to work their assigned shifts will be viewed as a breach of their terms of employment and a breach of the rule of the Public Service.”