Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Social Policy (Basic Aims and Standards) Convention, 1962 (No. 117) - Bahamas (Ratification: 1976)

Practical application of the Convention. The Committee notes that, between 1 and 3 September 2019, Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm, struck Abaco and Grand Bahama. It notes that, according to the joint UN/ECLAC/IADB/PAHO/WHO report, Assessment of the Effects and Impacts of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, the storm resulted in hundreds of persons dead or missing, and caused US$3.4 billion in damages, equivalent to over a quarter of the Country’s GDP. The hurricane severely affected the infrastructure, equipment, medical supplies and electrical and water supply on Abaco and Grand Bahama, severely affecting the capacity of the healthcare delivery system. Damage to facilities and assets associated with water and sanitation are estimated at $14.8 million, and widespread damage to education facilities is estimated at $72 million. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on measures taken or envisaged in these exceptionally difficult circumstances to promote the well being and development of the population and the improvement of standards of living (Parts I and II).

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Migrant workers. Education and training. The Government refers to its previous report and indicates that the National Training Agency (NTA) provides on-the-job training to young people with the aim of providing them with marketable employment skills. The Government adds that hundreds of persons have graduated since the inception of the NTA’s activities. Additionally, the NTA is placing greater focus on the maritime sector, training and preparing potential seafarers. With respect to the well-being of the population and social and economic development, the Committee notes the willingness and the commitment of the Government to provide free tertiary education to Bahamians. The Committee invites the Government to provide updated detailed information, including statistical data disaggregated by age, sex, and economic sectors, on the NTA’s activities and its impact, particularly on its graduates’ access to lasting employment. The Government is also requested to provide updated information on the steps taken to provide free tertiary education to Bahamians.

Articles 4(e) and 5. Promotion of cooperatives. Improvement of living standards. The Government reports that two initiatives are being taken to improve the standards and quality of living in the Bahamas in general. The first, the “Shanty Town Action Task Force”, focuses on the eradication of derelict and substandard living conditions within the Bahamas. The Government has begun demolition of derelict structures, while taking care of the needs of the former residents of those dwellings. The “Shanty Town Action Task Force” is reported to have conducted a survey on ten Shanty Towns in the New Providence area. At the same time, a Building Assessment took place, involving 19 inspectors over a period of three weeks. A two-step process was put in place to inform the residents, protecting the rights of legal occupants of the buildings and prevent unauthorized building. In parallel, the Government launched an Economic Empowerment Plan to improve living conditions and promote the well-being and development of the population. In order to foster economic and social development, the Government is contemplating to implement incentives to residential properties, commercial and industrial undertakings. This will take the form of exemption from real property taxes, exemptions from customs duties related to construction, equipping and completing buildings and structures for a period, exemptions from excise taxes, and exemptions from stamp tax imposed on real property, in defined empowerment zones and for a defined period of time. In this respect, the Government refers to the Economic Empowerment Zones Bill, 2018. The Committee requests the Government to provide a copy of the Bill once it is adopted, and to provide information on progress made in developing a policy and legal framework favourable to cooperatives. It also reiterates its previous request that the Government communicate information on measures taken to improve the standards of living of workers in the informal economy.