Labour and Immigration Minister Shane Gibson is not a lawyer by profession, but he probably knows labour-related laws as well as any lawyer who specializes in such a field. That is primarily due to the fact that before he became an elected member of the House of Assembly, he was one of the most dynamic labour leaders in the country.
As president of the powerful Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU), he followed in the footsteps of a number of other noted union leaders who used the labour movement as a springboard for a career in politics.
Indeed, the late Sir Randol Fawkes, widely recognized as the Father of the Labour Movement in The Bahamas, set the standard for the involvement of Bahamian labour leaders in politics. As head of the Bahamas Federation of Labour (BFL), he was first elected to the House in 1956 as a Progressive Liberal Party candidate, along with the late Sir Lynden Pindling for the Southern District of New Providence. Sir Randol, of course, blended both careers quite well. He had a long and distinguished career as head of the BFL, during which time he was also a powerful force to be reckoned with politically.
There is no question that Gibson has the potential to be a very successful politician, which he again demonstrated last week, when he used his vast knowledge of the labour laws of this country to prevent disgruntled Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) members from taking strike action. In the same dramatic fashion that characterised his fire-and-brimstone style of union leadership, Gibson in a live broadcast, announced that he was left with no other choice but to refer the dispute with the BEWU to the Industrial Tribunal.
“The union members should be aware that once I have taken this step, no employee shall go on strike and no union or member of the union can call a strike while proceedings in relation to that dispute are pending before the tribunal,” Gibson noted, further warning that the consequences of failing to comply with the law, are a fine or imprisonment.
Clearly, it would seem that Gibson has won the first round in this dispute, but he may yet discover that BEWU President, Dennis Williams, is as tough a labour leader as he once was. Indeed, as The Nassau Guardian reported on Saturday, Williams made it clear that BEWU members will be on a strict work-to-rule, which means that “there will be no overtime, and anything that is not within the guidelines of our contract will not take place.”
Noting that this could be more devastating than a strike, Williams added: “We cannot sit idly by while the government tries to play hard-line tactics and try to oppress us any further. We are in this for the whole nine yards, and it is the government’s choice if they want to settle this matter or if they want to continue to fight the working class people in this country.”
The major bone of contention here is what the union claims is an insulting pay offer from the corporation. The BEWU is also reportedly demanding back pay for its members totalling some $9 million, but the corporation says there is no legal basis or justification for such a claim. Moreover, as The Guardian reported, independent mediator, Bishop Neil Ellis, concluded that after studying the industrial agreement and talking to both sides, the union is not entitled to the moneys it is requesting.
Be that as it may, every effort should be made to resolve this matter as quickly as possible, in order to minimize the undue hardships experienced by residents of New Providence as a result of frequent power outages.
The Nassau Guardian
