Bahamas Public Services Union President Kimsley Ferguson is making the push to secure increased salaries for public servants, adding that he will not allow civil servants to be “taxed to death”. 

Mr. Ferguson told the reporters this past Friday, that having discussed briefly with Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis concerning salary increases, he intends to meet with the prime minister to further discuss the move forward. 

“After we would have concluded all the non-financial aspects of the agreement, we go back to see him (Dr. Minnis) sometime on the 12th of this month to find out what the position of the government is going to be regarding the salary increases,” Mr. Ferguson said.

“And so, we just want to cause our members to rest assured that we are feverishly working and agitating to ensure that they get some sort of funding in their hands to assist with back to school for the children.” 

Mr. Ferguson added that he wanted to be in a definitive position before heading into that meeting slated for next week Monday and not speculate as to what the outcome of that meeting would be. 

He noted however, that although he understands that the country is in a particular financial position, and amidst numerous increases in value added tax, and the cost of living, he is quite concerned about keeping workers’ heads above water.

“I would have done some calculations of a person whose salary would have been some $1,800 per month, minusing 12 percent for, hence another 5 percent for cost of living increases, that reduced that persons salary to $1,504,” Mr. Ferguson said.

“So, we need to ensure that those persons head can be brought back above water. That’s a concern for the union.

“We are not going to sit idly by and allow people to be taxed to death.”