By Pavel Bailey

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

LABOUR Minister Pia Glover-Rolle says the country’s labour relations are “stable” and that the government continues to address long-standing issues, even as key labour unions prepare to voice urgent concerns at a press conference today.

She said while there were numerous unresolved matters when the Davis administration took office, consistent social dialogue with unions has led to steady progress.

“Progress is what we aim for not perfection,” she told reporters during a new industrial agreement signing between the Bahamas Doctors Union (BDU) and the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA). “There will always be matters that need to be resolved as long as governments exist (and) as long unions exist.”

“It’s important to me as the minister of labour to make sure that we aren’t trying to resolve the same matters continually but that we are moving forward that we are progressing that we are evolving as the labour and workforce does and now addressing other issues as we continue in the movement.”

Her comments come as several union leaders, led by Trade Union Congress president Obie Ferguson, prepare to hold a press conference this morning to discuss their concerns and the overall state of labour affairs.

Mr Ferguson has repeatedly voiced dissatisfaction with the Davis administration’s handling of TUC’s concerns, insisting that few, if any, issues have been resolved.

When asked about the state of labour relations, Mrs Glover- Rolle described them as stable.

She also hinted at upcoming major announcements when she delivers her budget communication.

“That is what is critical,” she said, “The members of the unions are the employees of the government and so we all want our employees and our members to have what is best and that is decent working conditions that goes with the proper benefits that are aligned”

Earlier this year, under Mr Ferguson’s leadership, hundreds of healthcare workers staged a work stoppage, severely disrupting operations at public hospitals and clinics.

Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals walked off the job over longstanding labour disputes, including expired industrial agreements, staff shortages, and inadequate insurance coverage.

The strike forced the government to implement contingency measures, including pulling staff from follow-up clinics, enlisting retired healthcare workers, and reassigning clinical nurses to maintain essential services.