Irresponsible & Unseemly Behaviour

This morning in the press there is a statement attributed to the President of the Bahamas Public Service Union in which he promises to run in the Fox Hill constituency in the next election or campaign against me in the next election.  The purpose of my intervention this morning is simply to reassure the public that threats, intimidation, irresponsible and unseemly behaviour will not deter the Government from pursing a responsible course in the best interests of the country.  We put these comments down to the inexperience of the Union’s President.  Fred Mitchell is not the issue.  The issue is what is best for the public at large and all public servants, who deserve a decent living wage.

I wish to assure the public that our negotiators will be standing by today, tomorrow morning and every day to resume negotiations with the BPSU following the adjournment last week.  The negotiators headed by the Department of Public Service, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of National  Security and industrial consultants Keith Archer and Frank Carter are fully authorized to negotiate an agreement on all aspects of the public service contract, including financial matters. There is simply no need to attack Fred Mitchell personally.  These attacks by Mr. Pinder can only be misinterpreted by the public as trying to avoid a settlement.  It is the hope of the Government that the agreed raises will be reflected in the pay packets of all public servants in time for Christmas.  The overall settlement must of course be fair to the public at large.

The President of the Bahamas Public Service Union should understand that the Progressive Liberal Party administration fought for the right of any Bahamian to run anywhere and he is welcome to that battlefield.  However, there should not be a conflict between his personal ambitions in politics and his fight as a union leader.  There must be one or the other.

The Government is a reliable partner.  It is unfortunate that the President’s comments come in the middle of the struggle for survival of the hurricane victims in Grand Bahama, for whom he has offered no expression of regret, concern or sympathy.  Unlike, for example, his colleagues in The Bahamas Union of Teachers, whom I congratulate for their stance on this issue.  The politics of me, me, me should not be a part of the Bahamian agenda in 2005.

Once again, the public should feel assured that we will work as hard as we can to ensure that these matters are concluded by Christmas and that the pay packet of all civil servants and retirees will reflect the agreed increases for Christmas,  a settlement that is above all else fair to the public at large.
--  end  --
31st October, 2005