By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE growing friction with the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis is standing firm on the government’s decision to sign a pre-election Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the organisation, calling it a “wise decision”.

“We have lived up to the promise we made to workers,” he told reporters yesterday during a road project signing at the Office of the Prime Minister. “We signed the MoU with the TUC for the purposes of ensuring that workers get their just in this country.”

The MoU, inked in August 2021 ahead of the general election, was part of the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) commitment to labour. It was signed by both the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas (NCTUB) and the TUC and became known as the “Workers’ Agenda.”

But since taking office, the government has faced repeated accusations from TUC President Obie Ferguson, who argues that key promises remain unfulfilled. In January, Mr Ferguson threatened a two-day strike involving 14 labour unions, claiming the government had come up short. The action, however, had limited reach, mostly affecting healthcare workers and teachers in Grand Bahama.

The MoU aimed to improve labour conditions and safeguard union rights. While the PLP framed it as a pro-worker move, some union affiliates criticised the deal, saying it lacked transparency and meaningful consultation.

Pressed on whether he still believed the MoU was the right call, Mr Davis didn’t waver.

“This was for the purpose of ensuring that we understand workers’ complaints and concerns and that we’re able to address it,” he said.

“Setting up a mechanism to which we could respond to what they claim to be the challenges they face in the workplace, the challenges they’re facing as citizens of this country, and bringing resolution to those challenges.”

Labour Minister Pia Glover-Rolle, speaking in January, said the government had delivered on 96 percent of its commitments under the agreement. Still, she acknowledged a few unresolved matters, including the long-discussed renovation of the House of Labour on Wulff Road. She said the government had broached the issue with the Prime Minister but couldn’t fully fund the work and encouraged the TUC to help finance the project.

Another lingering issue is the allocation of Crown land to unions, a matter still on the table.

Mrs Glover-Rolle also pointed out that some unions that signed the MoU have raised concerns that its benefits are being extended to unions that didn’t.