By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE BAHAMAS Customs, Immigration and Allied Workers Union has filed a trade dispute over the appointment of a new assistant director at the Department of Immigration.

The union is upset that the appointment came from outside the organisation and that no immigration officers have been tapped for the position. The new appointee, Stuart Curtis, is said to be a former police officer.

Sloane Smith, the union’s president, said in 2018 it was understood the sitting minister and the current director had planned to bring in a number of people in high ranking positions in the Department of Immigration.

The union told them - as well as the Prime Minister - to instead promote from within. However, the union president said he learned about the new hiring in the media about two weeks ago and questioned the logic behind the decision.

“We’ve had about five superintendents of immigration go home,” he said during a press conference outside the Department of Immigration.

“Now you tell me what value could this individual truly bring to immigration? What could he truly bring that a retiring superintendent could not bring had you given him that same contract?”

“We’ve been here some of us 30 years, 40 years. We know the building of this organisation. We see the changes and the legislation. We see the growth of it. We see the development, but when time comes for that post to be opened not one immigration officer can sit in the director’s chair?”

The last promotional exercise was done in 2015 but was retroactive to 2013, according to Mr Smith.

“The Honourable Brensil Rolle said months ago that there was a freeze on promotions, on hiring, increments,” he said. “...You telling me we can’t get one immigration officer promoted from where they are to assistant director, maybe deputy director and even director?

“... Don’t tell me that bringing in persons, that there’s no immigration officer capable of leading this organisation.

“This man has to be God himself because no hiring, increments, no promotion but out of nowhere he shows up.”

The trade dispute was filed at the Ministry of Labour on January 29.

“It addresses the simple issue that you have a number of documents that we are governed by. The Industrial Relations Act, the public commission regulations, general orders, and all of them speak to if you’re gonna do something in this bargaining unit then you must give these individuals here an opportunity,” he said.

“I asked human resources, ‘here can you give me a copy of the advertisement of this promotion exercise?’ The lady said she don’t have any, so when did this happen?”

He made a plea to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis: “Can we remove these individuals forthwith because this can only be solved by putting us in a position where we would’ve been if not for the breach….put us back in that position which means move this individual.”

Mr Smith also called for the removal of the present director, Clarence Russell.

When contacted, Immigration Minister Elsworth Johnson declined to comment.

However, Public Service Minister Brensil Rolle said while there is still a freeze on hirings and promotions, there is an “exception of cases or circumstances where Cabinet permits”.

When asked to elaborate on these circumstances, Mr Rolle said “they’re driven totally by needs and the required needs in the service.”