Members of the Bahamas Customs, Immigration and Allied Workers Union (BCIAWU) participated in a strike vote on Wednesday on islands across the country.

BCIAWU Vice President, Shannette McKinney spoke to ZNS News about the grievances of the union.  She said, “we’re fighting for overtime, transportation, better working conditions.  We’re also fighting for retired officers who they are now bringing back to sit in positions where officers still here on the job who can fill those positions.  When it isn’t one issue it’s the next.  Every government that comes in have made promises, say they’re gonna be changes and nothing happens.  So we gatta speak up, we can’t continue to just sit back and allow them to do what they’re doing to us.”

Union President, Deron Brooks is confident they will get the amount of votes needed to move forward with the strike process.   He said, “customs officers when this strike poll was requested they had been owed from as far back as January.  Now the immigration officers had been paid until May but at the time this was filed in September the customs officers were owed as far back as January, in terms of overtime.  Now in terms of  their transportation fees as far back as last year.  The Customs and Immigration personnel are voting across the length and breath of The Bahamas so I’m very confident that we’re gonna get what we need to get the strike certificate.”