Airport workers are poised to take industrial action against what they call "government runaround" and false promises from the Prime Minister's Office.
Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union (BATCU) President Roscoe Perpall chaired an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss how the union plans to get the government's attention.  He said action is necessary for BATCU to be taken seriously.
"We have to plan action," Perpall told Guardian Business.  "They (the government) have been given sufficient time.  We are just as determined as we were in the beginning and more than likely we must have a reaction to them ignoring our concerns."
The reaction in question could mean another strike by air traffic controllers - a move that will have a  considerable impact on operations at the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA).
Just before the new year, industrial action by the airport workers snarled busy holiday season traffic and cost airlines tens of thousands in delays, burnt fuel and overtime pay.
The BATCU has been seeking an industrial agreement for years, but bureaucracy, disagreements and other delays have hampered the process, Perpall said.
The union has remained resolute in a variety of issues, including holiday time, overdue and allowances amounting to more than $500,000 and persistent maintenance problems with radar equipment.
In fact, aviation exports continue to warn LPIA and the government that severely outdated radar and communications equipment presents a danger to the country's tourism industry.
In January, Guardian Business reported that the radar system, installed in 1985, has "outlived its life expectancy", according to Perpall.
He said staff have implemented "band-aid solutions" to keep the system up and running, but failure to address the situation has created a "condition of uncertainty" at the airport.
Last week, Perpall told Guardian Business the union was told by Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, the minister of tourism, that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham must sign off on any industrial agreement.  The union said it has given up trying to get in touch with Ingraham to resolve the matter.
"We have tried to contact the PM's office repeatedly.  Right now nothing is happening for us.  We feel like we're getting the runaround and we can't wait any longer," said Perpall.
Adding that the union "didn't want to go down this path", the union president said he has been in contact with other organizations with similar industrial grievances, such as customs and workers from Sandals resort.
He hinted that these groups may plan a mass protest so their voices no longer fall on deaf ears.
"It would involve separate action, but we would all move in a direction to show our displeasure," Perpall explained.

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