Thursday, February 18, 2010

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Customs officers ready to start shift system By Inderia Saunders ~ Guardian Business Reporter ~ inderia@nasguard.com: A long-awaited Customs shift schedule looks set to go in operation next week, with union officials confirming that move to Guardian Business. It follows both the union and government working around an issue that originally saw some officers working six days straight before their first day off. "We got that sorted out," said John Pinder, head of the Bahamas Public Service Union (BPSU). "So now the new schedule will be adjusted this month in the next schedule. "That should reflect the change I think on February 15." It's good news, given it greatly impacts airlines and by extension new visitors to our shores. Those cash-strapped air carriers have long expressed concern about the bills they rack up with late night flights into The Bahamas. They are now made to pay overtime charges for customs workers required to clear their passengers. Those expenses, in many cases, are reflected in sundry air ticket fees, which further discourage Americans from visiting The Bahamas. Having customs — as well as immigration — officers placed on a flexi-system where officers sign in at different hours for a day's work stands to eliminate those high overtime fees for airlines. That's based around the fact that later starts would go further into the evening, timed as airlines conduct their normal seasonal airlift chops which affect many evening flights. Monday February 08, 2010