THE Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union's membership met on Thursday night and have agreed, given the government's commitment to them to pay outstanding holiday pay next week, not to take industrial action over the Easter weekend.

A statement from BATCU president, Lashan Gray, said: "Being aware of our overall significance to the country’s economy, we work toward being responsible civic partners, while seeking what is right, fair and proper for our membership. No, we cannot say that the government is truly operating in “good faith” as opposed to operating in its own interest, however, our efforts as a union were and are always centered around yielding positive results.

"Although payments are still not in hand, the Permanent Secretary has communicated in writing to us the Ministry of Transport & Aviation’s commitment to ensure payment no later than Tuesday April 7, 2015 for the holidays since Christmas 2014, bearing in mind that our membership has never in the past been paid for holidays as required nor in accordance with the law.

"This is the most definitive response we have received to date. After much deliberation, our membership has concluded that in the interest of the Bahamian people, we extend to our employer, the Civil Aviation Department and by extension, the Bahamas Government, our courtesy. This is not meant to encourage nor condone any exploitation of workers’ rights, as BATCU continues to stand strong in the fight against such violations and we expect that the Bahamas Government will represent what is proper within the law, not just against private sector employers, but within its own agencies as well."