By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Finance launched a survey to gather public servants’ opinions on a proposed shift to bi-monthly pay, Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said yesterday.

This follows calls from Bahamas Public Service Union (BPSU) president Kimsley Ferguson for a structured poll to assess public servants’ views on the proposed change.

Mrs Glover-Rolle encouraged public servants to participate in the survey, emphasising the importance of understanding workers’ perspectives before implementing the change.

She said: “You’ve heard the Minister of Economic Affairs say that if it’s not what you want, we won’t do it, but we’re moving into a progressive and efficient environment.”

Mrs Glover-Rolle initially set early 2025 as the start date for the bi-weekly system but later extended the timeline for further consultation after union leaders expressed concerns.

The initiative is part of broader public service reforms, including electronic salary notifications, online job applications, and the Cloud Bahamas project to digitise the public service.

At a symposium reviewing the government’s public service agenda, Mrs Glover-Rolle acknowledged significant progress but noted that much work remains. She highlighted efforts in clearing the backlog, improving accommodations, completing a public service audit, and promoting thousands of public servants. Additionally, plans are underway to relocate the ministry to a new building.

She added: “Importantly, we’re simultaneously ensuring that we adopt international standards for workers rights and exploring concepts like you’ve heard mentioned in press, paternity leave, remote work, and new advances in the way you do work.”

Mrs Glover-Rolle also announced forthcoming changes to the Employment Act, Industrial Relations Act, and Public Service Act to modernise the public service. She encouraged workers to remain focused and resilient as “silly season” approaches, warning against being discouraged by political jabs.

She said: “I don’t want you to be discouraged by the political jabs. The political jobs are at me,” and emphasised the gratitude of thousands of public servants for the efforts to promote, reclassify, and improve morale and conditions within the public service.