By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Public Services Union (BPSU) president Kimsley Ferguson said he was informed by Prime Minister Philip Davis that the government will not move forward with biweekly payments for public servants, despite much-touted earlier announcements about planned payroll reforms.

Mr Ferguson said Mr Davis told him and Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) president Belinda Wilson during a recent meeting that the reform would not happen since union leaders opposed it.

“That was his words,” he said during a press conference yesterday.

His comments came after Labour Minister Pia Glover-Rolle directed questions about the pay reform to the Ministry of Finance, describing it as a “finance project”.

She acknowledged a recent meeting with unions and told reporters to seek further information from the ministry.

The Davis administration had announced last year that biweekly pay would be introduced in early 2025, saying the move would provide public servants with more consistent cash flow between pay periods.

However, the timeline was repeatedly extended for further consultation after union leaders expressed shock and opposition.

Despite this, Mrs Glover-Rolle had repeatedly emphasised that the postponement does not indicate the government has changed its position.

In January, she said the Ministry of Finance launched a survey to gauge public feedback, which it said showed most respondents supported a semi-monthly payment system.

However, some union leaders said their survey results told a different story. Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) president Belinda Wilson cited a previous survey showing that 83 percent of BUT members wanted to keep monthly salary payments.