The Bahamas Public Service Union (BPSU) has said it is confidence that it will win today's poll to determine the union to represent over 1,000 workers at the Departments of  Immigration and Customs.
"I'm quite confident that we will be victorious," emphasized BPSU president John Pinder yesterday during a news conference at the union's headquarters on Wulff Road.
The Bahamas Customs Immigration and Allied Workers Union (BCIAWU) is seeking to displace the BPSU as the bargaining agent for those workers.
The BCIAWU was formed last year after a group of disgruntled officers left the BPSU, citing a lack of faith in the leadership of the BPSU.
BCIAWU members were upset with the new shift system implemented in January 2010 by the government, which resulted in major pay cuts for immigration and customs officers.  The new union alleges that customs and immigration officers were left in the dark during the shift system negotiations.
"That is absolutely untrue,"said Pinder who pointed to a photo of union officials along with several customs and immigration representatives at the negotiating table with the government several years ago on the issue.
Pinder also said customs and immigration employees had sufficient forewarning about the changes.
"It took four and a half years to conclude these negotiations.  They knew this was coming.  They received a shift allowance and shift premium for 18 months prior to the implementation of the shift system," he said.
"I think there were some persons who did not prepare themselves financially for it and were living above their means.  So they want to blame the BPSU for that."
Since the shift system was implemented in January 2010, overtime pay has been virtually cut out for those workers.
Pinder insisted that the move to the shift system was best for everyone involved, as it allowed the government the room to hire hundreds of new civil servants.
Pinder also noted that his union negotiated a base salary raise in addition to shift allowances and shift premiums for all customs and immigration workers.
According to Pinder, the government insisted on the shift system after airlines and cruise lines complained about the expenses they were incurring as a result of having to cover overtime pay for immigrations and customs officers.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian