By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

A trade union says it is plotting its next move with grievances over the alleged non-payment of salary increments for Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) staff yet to be addressed.

Linda Sands, the Bahamas General Workers Union’s (BGWU), said only half the promised salary increments were paid with the last occurring in 2022-2023.  “Why can some people have and some not have?” she challenged. “You’re saying to us that BAIC is quasi (government).

“It doesn’t matter, because when they want BAIC staff to be quasi, they push them to the quasi side. When they want them to be government, they bring them over to the Government side. If you have already made the first payment, why have you not sent the balance of the money?... Have a meeting and pay BAIC staff.”

Ms Sands said the BGWU has reached out to the Ministry of Finance “more than five times” on the issue. After receiving no reply, it then contacted the Prime Minister’s Office. Ms Sands said the union spoke with Latrae Rahming, the Prime Minister’s communications director, who said Philip Davis KC had reassured he will pay the increments owed at BAIC.

“But since then, that’s about three, four weeks ago. Nothing has happened either,” she asserted. “We’re in the planning process. We’re going to do something. We don’t want to say right now, but yes, we are in the planning process.”

Natania Johnson, the BGWU’s secretary-general, cited a number of outstanding concerns for the union and its members including mould infestation in several Family Island packing houses and overdue promotions for those not at the executive level.

“We have non-payment of persons who would have done extra duties when our industrial agreement speaks to that,” Ms Johnson added. “So if someone works and they do extra duties, they should be compensated. And that’s in our industrial agreement.

“However, you have persons who would have been operating in a more senior position, senior capacity, and have not been compensated. You have non-payment of increment. To-date you have persons who have breached their incremental period, the incremental date, and they have not been paid their increment.

“We have an excessive shortage of janitorial staff. We had 12 people working as a janitress. The Corporation released four who were on contract. We were fighting for them to bring those contract workers back, and they adamantly denied bringing those contract workers back. We had one that was ousted. She’s since passed away. God rest the dead. And so we are down now to approximately five janitorial staff when we had 12,” Ms Johnson said.

“So you have persons now who are taking on an excessive load of work due to the shortage. And it’s not that the Corporation cannot assist or provide the help. We’ve asked, we’ve written, we went to the Labour Department, and they still refuse to hire more janitorial staff to absorb the workload on these mothers who have to go home to their kids and their family, and still be able to perform.

“You have persons who have back issues who work in the department, who have hand issues, leg issues. These are janitorial workers who cannot fully work to the full capacity that they need due to these injuries. But, then again, you’re adding more workload to these individuals. It’s unfair.”