BIU and Government discussions ‘fruitful’

The Labour Relations Amendment Act 2014 will not be debated in the House of Assembly today in a move that shows Government and the BIU coming together.

Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy made the announcement at a press conference this afternoon flanked by BIU president Chris Furbert.

Mr Furbert said he is looking forward to having dialogue with Mr Fahy going forward: “The BIU is not sitting out here in a vacuum. We have members who work for government and we’re here to work with them as best we can.”

The move comes after Mr Furbert held a press conference on Tuesday before the protest and said his union’s relationship with the OBA, particularly Mr Fahy was “broken”.

He also said he would meet with his members before deciding the best way forward.

On Wednesday, unionized bus drivers and Marine and Ports workers marched from the BIU headquarters to the House of Assembly to show their disagreement with Government potentially including transportation as an essential service under the act.

Minister Fahy said today: “You will be aware that today the House was set to debate the Labour Relations Amendment Act 2014.

"Government has decided to carry the paper over, however it will remain on the Order Paper. I can confirm that yesterday, the Premier, myself and other Ministers met with Mr. Furbert and BIU representatives to address matters of concern. 

"We welcomed the opportunity to have the meeting and I can honestly say that it was a very frank, candid and beneficial discussion for both sides. In the spirit of collaboration, we are committed to sitting down and resuming our dialogue to resolve the outstanding labour concerns relating to various Government Departments.”

Mr. Furbert added: “The dialogue we had yesterday was very fruitful. We are concerned about a number of issues and in going forward we want to ensure that there is proper dialogue. The BIU is pleased that the Minister has decided to carry the bill over with the understanding that we will sit down and have the proper dialogue that is necessary.”