In order for Trade Unions to legally operate within the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, by law, they must be registered with the Department of Labour.  They are not recognised unless they are registered.

Eligibility

In order to qualify, the trade union must have the following:

• a proposed name
• a registered office 
• a constitution, indicating where trade union meetings would be held, the frequency of elections, how the union may be dissolved, how members become members, how persons may be expelled, the union’s purpose of being
• a minimum of 15 members / subscribers, of which there must be a named president, general secretary, treasurer, and not less than 2 trustees

Process

1. Write letter addressed to the registrar of trade unions, requesting that the union be registered.  This letter must include the names, occupations and addresses of all of the officers of the union, as well as the names and addresses of 15 subscribers.
2. Submit a hard copy to the Department of Labour, in person or via mail

Please note that trade unions are not recognized until their constitutions have been reviewed and an affirmative response has been given.

Application Form(s)

There are no application forms for this service.

Supporting Documents

There are no supporting documents for this service.

Turn-around time

There is a minimum turn-around time of 1 month, as the trade union’s name must first appear in the Gazette for 1 month.

Deadline

There is no deadline for this service.

Related Fee(s)

There is a non-refundable application fee of BS$25.00.  It must be paid by cash or certified cheque, payable to Treasury Department

For more information please contact 

The Trade Union Section at the New Providence address listed below, or any of the other locations.