By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell admits the government must resolve “the capacity problem” to process promotions of public service workers.

Mr Mitchell spoke on behalf of the government during the Sir Randol Fawkes Labour Day Parade held on Friday in Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama.

Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey, Obie Wilchcombe, Minister of Social Services and Urban Development; PLP Senators Kirkland Russell and James Turner, FNM Member of Parliament for East Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson and Member of Parliament for Central Grand Bahama Iram Lewis also marched with the workers.

Several pressing labour issues were raised, including the promotions and confirmations of public servants, the liveable wage, the provision for a legal advocate for the small man, and casual labour, particularly in the industrial sector.

Mr Mitchell explained the processing of promotions in the public service is not political, but rather a capacity problem.

“The whole country ought to understand the capacity problems that government has. It has little to do with politics because promotions and transfers are dealt with by an independent body called the Public Service Commission. The Commission has to have the capacity to process the tens of thousands of transfers and promotions the country has, and I must say they simply do not have the capacity to do so. And so, part of what you are seeing is a capacity issue.

“We decided that one issue we have to tackle is increase capacity for the agencies to deal with the processing because we cannot keep coming back and saying the Commission. Since we are the government, it must be our job to try to solve that capacity problem.”

Mr Mitchell noted the department makes the recommendation, which then goes to the Commission. “It is for us to resolve the problem,” he stressed.

On the matter of liveable wage, Minister Mitchell said the government is going to raise the minimum wage. He reminded Bahamians of the significance of how Labour Day came about when Randol Fawkes paid tribute to the men and women who had sacrificed their energy, blood, sweat and tears in the Burma Road riots on June 1 and 2, 1942, over the construction of what is now the Lynden Pindling International Airport concerning a dispute over wages and the differential treatment between Bahamians and non-Bahamians.

He said: “So, we owe a debt of gratitude to Sir Randol Fawkes who chose this day to pay tribute to those persons who sacrificed their lives, time and effort on that day. Five people were killed on that day – Harold McIntosh, David Smith, Roy Johnson, James Alexander Rolle and Donald Johnson.”

In a statement on Friday, Kwasi Thompson, MP for East Grand Bahama, congratulated workers in Grand Bahama on a successful Labour Day march.

“It was good to march in support of workers,” he said. “It should be a non-political event, but it is about the workers. We support their advocating on behalf of employees everywhere, particularly in Grand Bahama. We stand with them as they continue to fight for better pay, better conditions, and fair treatment,” he said.

Mr Thompson encouraged the government to do all it can to support Bahamian workers.

“We were disappointed we didn’t see more in the budget for private-sector job creation, particularly in Grand Bahama. We know that projects may come on stream by next year, but we need a significant amount of employment now.”

He indicated that they are also distressed that there has been a reduction in Social Services when the need in Grand Bahama is so great.