By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEYS and Magistrates of the Office of the Attorney General will be provided with medical insurance, it was revealed yesterday.

Attorney General Ryan Pinder said this process has been ten years in the making, saying it would increase the retention of lawyers.

“I’m a firm believer that the Attorney General’s Office is the largest and most prestigious law firm in The Bahamas and we should treat our attorneys as you would be treated in the private sector.

“So, this is one step to putting in a benefit scheme that’s comparable to what you would find in law firms in the private sector. It’s going a long way on our journey to increase the retention of lawyers, as you would know, and I’m not the first Attorney General to have said this, but attorney retention is difficult in the office of the Attorney General.

“Private sector pay scales are much higher than we offer in government and so we need to supplement that with other types of benefits to ensure that we can recruit, retain, and be attractive to attorneys working in the Bahamas and so this is one step in that direction.”

The government has pledged to cover 80 per cent of the premium with Colina Insurance. The insurance plan is inclusive of medical, vision, dental, life and accidental death.

Mr Pinder said enrolment commenced yesterday, and will become effective in the new budget year, which begins on July 1.

He said staff “work harder for less money”, suggesting different initiatives will be implemented at a later date for the development of staff.

“I am not blind to the fact that one of the most enormous challenges we face as the Office of the Attorney General is attorney retention. The fact is we are paid less and we do more and that within itself creates an atmosphere that serves as a challenge to retention,” Mr Pinder said yesterday.

“So, we are mandated to do whatever we can, even if we have to do it in particular disciplines to ensure that we have the retention and the best performers that we could get.

“You have my pledge and commitment to ensure that we listen to what your demands are and not only that but put together a framework that is acceptable and promotes the retention and advancement of our lawyers. After all, we are lawyers, we are professionals and we need to demand to be treated as such.”