Following industrial unrest at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) yesterday, Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Michael Pintard called on the government to honor its commitment to help "hurting workers".

Members of the Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) staged industrial action yesterday at LPIA and airports throughout the country over the government’s failure to conclude an industrial agreement and provide money union officials say is owed.

At LPIA, operations slowed to a crawl.

Pintard said, “As we understand it, the government has promised a promotional exercise in the month of June along with addressing other outstanding personal emoluments payable for the month of July. The minister responsible for aviation alerted the public that this matter was remedied by a $10 million allocation that rested between the Ministry of Finance and the Airport Authority.

“We call on the Ministry of Finance to honor this commitment made. If circumstances have arisen that now prevent the payments promised, just communicate the facts to the workers in a transparent way.”

About 90 percent of the 200-plus BPSU members at LPIA, including non-management staff like firefighters, security and screening staff, plus 107 employees at 17 airports around the Family Islands, did not report to work, according to Director of Labour Robert Farquharson.

Last week, Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation Chester Cooper said the government approved funding to honor the terms of an industrial agreement with airport employees.

Pintard said, “Sadly, this matter is only one of many labor matters reaching a boiling point despite the government’s PR stunt which sought to give the impression that it was moving with haste to help public servants during its budget exercise.

“The lifeblood of our nation is tied to the maintenance of safe and efficient passage of Bahamians and visitors through our various ports inclusive of our airports. We hope and pray for a rapid, satisfactory negotiation of any residual impasse. Bahamian workers are entitled to timely, ongoing engagement with sincere, reasonable consideration and resolution of their concerns.”

Cooper said yesterday that the government will not be strong-armed by the BPSU.

“We are not going to take this laying down,” he said.

“We are going to employ all of what’s available to us under the law to ensure that the residents and our tourists and traveling public are not adversely impacted.”

He noted that he thought the government was making progress in relation to the outstanding matters with BPSU.

“We asked for compromise, we asked for patience on behalf of the Bahamian people,” he said.

“The action today, we think, is a strong-arm tactic, and we are going to do what’s best for the Bahamian people.”

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