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Bahamian Consumers Deserve Better Representation

HOUSE OF LABOUR: The Consumer Protection Unit of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) need to become more pro active on behalf of Bahamian Consumers. It appears that these two agencies has lost their public profile on important issues of concern to consumers. Both of these agencies can achieve a greater measure of representation for consumers by conducting public consultations for consumers in their respective areas of expertise.

While the Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) are leading the charge for consumers the officers of these agencies seems content to draw fat salaries and become caught up in beaucracy. In the case of the P.U.C. We see that several of their officers are constantly on training courses which is commendable, however, the public are not aware of how their tax dollars spent on these courses translates into relief, from the pressures that consumers experience from the utility companies of Batelco, Cable Bahamas, Water and Sewerage and Bahamas Electricity Corporation. Consumer’s Corner is aware that the terms of the PUC are different from the Consumer Protection Unit of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. However, according to the PUC they have a consumer officer and they are mandated to: “monitor quality of service, prices in the absence of competition, and resolve complaints against service providers and take steps to ensure the consumer is being treated fairly.

This also means, we will have to champion the views and concerns of consumers and to ensure effective representation of consumers interest. As consumer protection is central to the work of the PUC, conditions will be placed in major licenses that pertain to the protection of consumers to make providers accountable to their customers and the Commission key issues. Some of the consumer protection conditions include:

* Licensee shall publish its prices, terms and conditions and any changes to any of those terms and conditions.

* Appointing a contact person for members of the public and the commission.

* Systematic means of recording complaints.

* The time frame within which the licensee will settle complaints . Retention of records for complaints and responses for period of at least one year following resolution of the complaint. When conditions are breached, operators will be informed and requested to conform to the conditions of their license.”

These are high sounding words and resolutions, but consumers want to see action. As for the Consumer Protection of the Ministry of Trade and Industry the public have the impression that it is dormant. Additionally, as for the Price Control Commission it is the general view that after the departure of E.J Bowe it appeared that the importance of this arm of the government was deliberately downed played. In the absence of the high profile of this commission, merchants have had a field day with price gouging and over expired good to consumers. All consumer organizations should consistantly advocate and insist that this consumer arm and other organizations of the national government do the following:

* Implement and adhere to the consumer policy recommendations contained in the UN Guidelines on Consumer Protection and such clauses included in other international and regional agreements; and give special consideration to vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers;

* Work to ensure requirements for and access for all to minimum consumption rights; facilitate public financing of consumer organizations where appropriate without compromising their independence; promote information strategies that support informed choices;

* Provide the necessary safeguards, particularly for disadvantaged consumers, against inefficient, unfair and unjust markets;

* Remove hazardous products form the market as soon as they are identified and ensure that product bans are reapplied equally to domestic consumption and to exports.

* Take measures to prevent the export or transfer of high risk technologies without proper consumer and environmental impact evaluation and safeguards, with penalties for those who break the rules, together with proper relief for injured parties;

* Ensure that transparency and accountability prevail in the use of public resources;

* Support and work jointly to remote access to justice nationally and internationally.

Consumers organizations and their members should also place special emphasis on the needs and difficulties of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumer, especially where there are poorer consumers, women, children, older people, indigenous people and people with disabilities.

They should also press for the adequate provision of appropriate goods and services for vulnerable groups and disadvantaged consumers and their integration into all aspects of life.

In keeping with the international consumer movement the Bahamian consumer movement in this millennium must renew its commitment to the fundamental principles that inspired our movement in the 20th century. Our movement is concerned not only with value for money for consumers but places the rights and choices of individual consumers in the context of social and economic justice for all. We call for a Consumer Bill of Rights and we urge adherence to the United Nations Guidelines for consumer protection which reflect our view that consumer rights and protection can only be achieved as part of a global struggle of justice for all people.

In each era, the specific policies that advance our fundamental principles have evolved as economic, technological, political and social conditions have changed.

This dynamic approach has enabled our movement to grow, maintain its relevance and be even more necessary in the new millennium.

We reaffirm our dedication to the goal of a just and equitable society for the three hundred thousand Bahamians and for the worlds six billion consumers.

We are proud of the role the local consumer groups and consumer organizations all over the world and in the Bahamas have played in the struggle for a fair marketplace and social and economic justice for all.

We pledge to enhance the role consumers has played to help build and strengthen our movement and to bring our voices to regional and global forums. We are proud of our contribution to developing and promoting civil society values in a world that is increasingly inhospitable to those values. The essential starting point for local consumer policies is the eight basic rights of consumers. These are the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose the right be heard, the right to redress, the right to consumer education, and the right to healthy environment.

Now in the 21st century, we rededicate ourselves to continuing to work for social and economic justice and to work with other public interest groups because we are all consumers and we are all citizens. The dramatic changes that have taken place over the last decades have created challenges for us. They have also inspired us to develop the policies and strategies that can help bring social and economic justice to all.

Charles Fawkes is President of the National Consumer Association and organizer for the Commonwealth Group of Unions, Inside Labour Columnist for the Bahama Journal, Editor of the Headline News, The ConsumerGuard and The Workers’ Vanguard. His email address is fawkesmore@mail1.coralwave.com. He can be contacted at his office in the House of Labour at 326-6620.

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