By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

ts-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Public Service Union president Kimsley Ferguson said the government’s proposed fiscal restraints on the civil service will cause unrest.

The union leader spoke passionately after Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest told the House of Assembly that the Minnis administration is in talks with unions to seek support in pausing increments to permanent and pensionable civil servants as well as temporarily suspending salary increases and deferring salary increases attendant to promotion exercises.

Mr Ferguson said the matters were somewhat discussed, claimed but only half-truths were presented in the Budget communication yesterday.

“It was discussed to some extent,” the union leader said. “The implication that promotions and the payments for promotions would be deferred until January 2021, that was a part of what was discussed but initially it was agreed that all the promotions that are already being processed by public service, those persons would have been paid and compensated for those promotions upon completion of processing. And, anything processed after that would be deferred until January 2021.”

He said there were no discussions on the deferral of salary increases and it never came up when he and his team met with the government.

“There were no discussions on the deferral of salary increases,” he told The Tribune. “That never really came up in our discussions at all. So I am concerned that someone is being a stranger to the truth. The government, for whatever reason, is appearing not to be very union friendly at all. It appears to all those who were in attendance at the meeting that the government came with what they were suggesting already written in stone. And the meeting we had with them was only a form of consultation so that they can say, ‘we did meet with the union’, but the decision was already made.”

During his speech, Mr Turnquest said to be clear, the government will still process and grant promotions, as the government recognises that some are long overdue. However, he said, the attendant salary increases would be deferred at least until January 2021, when the government will have a better view of the circumstances. He said similarly, any new appointments will happen on an exceptional basis only.

“We are very concerned because that is very, very disrespectful,” said Mr Ferguson, continuing. “It is unacceptable to trade unions in this country and it sends a red flag to the point where the government, in our opinion, is doing some stuff that is going to cause some unrest during this particular time when which is really not a convenient time for this country.”

Mr Ferguson said it is extremely difficult to catch up with government officials as they are not accepting his calls.

“It is extremely difficult to access anyone of these individuals (government authorities) unless they are seeking support from you on an item. You make calls to these persons and they don’t accept calls. Notes have been sent to the various ministers and they do not answer them.

“The prime minister, for some weeks now, has assumed the role of acting minister of health and we still have some outstanding things in health. We also have items that need to be addressed by the minister of tourism and we have been trying to reach him without any favourable response regarding the payments of monies to Airport Authority’s staff. That has been outstanding from 2015.”

Mr Ferguson said while the government is asking the union to support it in deferring more payments owed to public servants, it is not considerate in addressing the union’s outstanding concerns which date as far back as six years.