By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

UNION leaders are blasting the government’s plan to raise wages for some public officers, saying the move lacks transparency, excludes key groups, and was announced without consultation.

The Bahamas Educators Managerial Union (BEMU) said the absence of details about how the increases will be applied and calculated is troubling, while Bahamas Public Service Union (BPSU) president Kimsley Ferguson accused the government of being “deceptive” and trying to “one up” unions.

“I’m of the view that this administration is using the public purse to secure an election, and they’re not doing a very good job of it,” Mr Ferguson said, urging members to “stand by” as action is coming.

Bahamas Nurses Union (BNU) president Muriel Lightbourn said she is still unclear whether any nurses will benefit, noting that those directly employed by the Public Hospital Authority have already been told they will not receive the increases.However, others, including some in senior positions at the Department of Health, are unclear about their situation.

“They gave those persons in June who they deemed middle managers they would’ve given them some monies but we have nurses who are managers as well like our nursing officers and they weren’t given any monies so everybody was asking and nobody got any concrete information,” Ms Lighbourn said.

Their comments came after the government announced on Sunday that public servants who missed earlier pay raises will now receive them in December, not this month as previously planned.

The increases will be retroactive to September, with each employee receiving at least two salary increments, though the size of the increases will vary by category.

Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said the exercise, which she described as a Ministry of Finance project, is intended to narrow gaps in public service salaries and improve conditions for workers.

She noted the government has been increasing salaries since taking office, adding that there had been no public service pay increases since 2016.

She could not comment on the project’s cost or the reason for the late payments, directing such questions to finance officials.

Government officials said the payments were delayed because the exercise was “complex”.

Yesterday, Mr Ferguson expressed shock at the remarks, calling it impossible for Ms Glover-Rolle to blame the Ministry of Finance while feigning ignorance after praising the government’s salary review in the House of Assembly.

“We are of the view that the government is trying to have a one up on unions and cause the workers of this country to see unions as irrelevant,” he said.

He recalled Prime Minister Philip Davis’ earlier pledge of two to eight percent pay raises for lower-level staff, but said the government’s latest announcement lacks key details.

He said unions have received no clarity on the exact amounts or which categories of workers will receive the promised two to eight percent increases, despite earlier meetings with Prime Minister Davis, who had promised to provide the details.

He also highlighted disparities in past increases, noting permanent secretaries received tens of thousands in salary and allowances in 2022, while mid-level managers and lower-level staff received far less.

He questioned what lower-level staff, such as security officers, messengers, and janitorial workers, would receive.

“Where is the parity in these salaries?” he said. “Well, I don’t see any gap being closed if the person at the lower end is now going to receive and let me use the support staff and the security officers, whose incremental value is $37.50 and so if they get two increments, it would amount to some $75 additionally per month.”

He said the union is concerned that workers are being “slighted” and called the government’s delay in providing the payments a “slap in the face”.

He said the union would have recommended paying lower-level staff first, who needed funds to help their children prepare for back-to-school.

He added that many public servants had already counted on the funds and borrowed money in anticipation of receiving them today.

“We are disappointed,” he said, “and I want to say to my members, these are the same persons that are going to knock on your door and ask for your support. My advice is treat them the way they treated you.”

Meanwhile, BEMU called the government’s latest announcement a direct contradiction of the Prime Minister’s earlier statement that salary adjustments would reflect the responsibilities of all public workers.

BEMU, which represents managers and supervisors, noted that many of its members hold advanced qualifications and occupy posts with greater responsibility than middle managers, yet were excluded from the increases granted to that group in June.

“It is unclear how the minimum of two salary increments will be applied in cases where inequities already exist nor is it clear how fairness will be achieved for those who have long served in senior posts with specialised responsibilities,” the union said in a statement.

BEMU called for a clearer explanation of the adjustments, saying members deserve to know how they will be affected and how the process aligns with previous commitments.

“Until such explanation is provided, serious concerns about fairness, transparency, equity will remain unsolved.”