As a business we engage regularly with Bahamians who are out of work. People call and email us asking if there is anything available for them to do. When we conduct interviews and review the resumes of desperate Bahamians, we find that many have not worked in years. They want any opportunity we can offer in our businesses.
Some don't even ask what the pay will be. They simply want some income to help feed their families; to help pay their bills.
The unemployment rate in The Bahamas was last measured at 15.4 percent. Since the financial crisis in the fall of 2008 our jobless rate has been high. So many Bahamians see Baha Mar as the only hope to help bring that rate down to a reasonable figure.
What makes this economic climate even more challenging is that the government is seeking to raise taxes via value-added tax (VAT), at a time when many businesses are just trying to survive.
In this context, we wonder if some of our union leaders inhabit an alternate reality -- one in which jobs are readily available and money falls from the sky.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC), an umbrella union group, held a news conference yesterday to announce it will to hold a "mass" rally next Tuesday ahead of plans for major industrial action.
TUC President Obie Ferguson foreshadowed the rally last month during a standoff between the government and the Bahamas Customs Immigration and Allied Workers Union over the government's refusal to increase workers' benefits.
"What this country needs is a complete shutdown in my humble opinion," Ferguson said at the House of Labour on Wulff Road.
"...So After May 6 you may very well hear a cry from this body inviting all workers to stand still for a couple days."
What a silly thing to say. What a silly thing to call for. What we need in these times of slow growth is more productivity from workers. All workers should seek to make themselves more valuable to their employers. All workers should be working with their bosses to improve the services and products they offer.
Workers should not listen to anyone suggesting they do less work or no work at all. This is a way to lose standing with employers or to get fired. Employers across the country are taking note of workers who are giving a little extra during these challenging times. And if things get worse, these employers will be happy to let go all those people who want to do less or nothing at all.
There is dignity in honest work. All Bahamians who are employed should realize how lucky they are. If you have a job and do not feel fortunate, go and speak to someone who has been unemployed for two or three years, who has had his or her home repossessed, or people who have been without electricity in their dwelling places for months. See if they think you should stop working and shut the country down, or if you should be loyal to the company or person who gives you money each payday in order to meet your obligations.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian