Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes said yesterday a meeting with leaders of the Bahamas Customs Immigration and Allied Workers Union (BCIAWU) "went very well" yesterday morning, however, union members continue to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., negatively impacting operations at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA).
Foulkes told The Nassau Guardian there were two outstanding issues to be discussed before the matter could be put to rest, however, both sides have agreed not to divulge specifics. "We have a gag order with respect to speaking to the press," he noted. "Neither side wants to say anything to complicate the talks and future talks, but the discussions were very good.
"I thought we made a lot of progress. I am very hopeful that we can bring this matter to a resolution very shortly."
The government has demanded that the union's members work during their rostered shifts. However, union leaders have said that immigration and customs officers will continue to work-to-rule until a "proper shift system is in place".
Last week Wednesday, Sloane Smith, vice president of the BCIAWU, advised union members to show up to work at 9 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m. During a weekend press conference in Exuma, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham warned immigration officers absent from their posts at LPIA to return to work or face the consequences. "The shift system is in effect. In fact, if many of them would check their terms and conditions of employment they will find that since 1996 nearly all of them had been hired by the public service with a condition in their contract, which said you shall work on [a] shift."
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Immigration Brent Symonette also said recently that when customs and immigration workers were hired in 1996, they were supposed to be on a shift system.
Edgecombe insisted the union does not oppose having its members work on a shift system, and agreed that employees hired in 1996 were contracted under those terms, however, he claimed there is no legal shift system set up "with the proper structure with all the other legal parameters around it".
"We are waiting on the government to put one in place so that we can follow the contracts and become shift workers, but until then [we will work from] 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday."
Vernice Walkine, vice president of marketing and communications for the Nassau Airport Development Company, said yesterday that operations are proceeding as normal, although she did not provide specifics.
Foulkes said the matter is "a very important issue for the government" as the country is heavily dependent on the tourism sector and is keen for LPIA to return to normal as soon as possible.
"That is my mandate as minister of labour, to bring industrial peace, and I will devote as much time to this matter as possible," he said.
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