Hundreds Bid Farewell to Pat Bain

BAHAMA JOURNAL

2nd December 2006

Hundreds Bid Farewell To Pat Bain

By Macushla N. Pinder

With a certain degree of sadness and joy, scores of family members of the late trade unionist Pat Bain, along with government officials and trade unionists from throughout The Bahamas and the Caribbean flooded Christ Church Cathedral on Friday to bid farewell to a man they called brother, mentor, leader and friend.

Mr. Bain, 62, died last week Tuesday at the PrincessMargaretHospital following a battle with cancer

Former union leader, Frank Carter, recalled the wonderful times and many disappointing times he said he spent with his friend.

"He was a hero of the first order, a nation builder," Mr. Carter said.

Up until the time of his death, Mr. Bain was embroiled in a legal battle to regain control of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHC&WU) after disputed elections earlier this year showed a tie between him and his opponent, Roy Colebrooke.

Nearly his entire team was wiped out in the process, but he remained president of the National Congress of Trade Unions (NCTU), an umbrella body of some 15 unions in the country.

The congregation also heard stories of the lighter side of the trade unionist.

"He loved jazz music. We would have the longest chats about this. He knew all of the artists and their music," Mr. Carter said.

"But he said the happiest time of his life of service was to the union."

John Pinder, acting president of the NCTU and leader of the Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU), and Robert Farquharson, president of the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU), chose to dwell on the lessons they said they learnt from Mr. Bain.

"He was a man who loved life and lived it completely," Mr. Pinder said.

"He was as humble as a dove. He was as wise as a serpent. He had the eyes of an eagle and was a strong as a lion when it came to the union movement. The brother also displayed a positive attitude."

Mr. Bain has been credited with leading the charge for increased educational opportunities for all workers, empowerment of the masses and the need to build a richer relationship with social partners including the employers and the government.

"His dream was also to have a labour campus," Mr. Pinder said while foreshadowing plans that the establishment would be named in Mr. Bain’s honour.

According to Mr. Pinder, BHC&WU President Roy Colebrooke established an educational scholarship fund in the name of his predecessor.

Mr. Farquharson said Mr. Bain was his mentor.

"As my president, he taught me how to listen and always reminded me to do unto others as I wish done unto me. As my leader, you taught me how to be humble, always stressing that a man’s word is his bond," Mr. Farquharson said.

"As my brother, you taught me how to love in spite of the situation and always reminded me that in all things, I should give God thanks. As my mentor, you taught me how to lead and always reminded me that the greatest leader is he who desired to be a servant. As my friend, you taught me confidence….How can I go on? What will I do?"

Also bringing a tribute was Prime Minister Christie Perry Christie who said Pat Bain was the epitome of a modern trade unionist.

"Pat Bain represented the bridge between the past and the present in the evolution of industrial relations in the country," he said.

"He brought to the bargaining table a new and compelling ethos and a new arsenal of weapons to advance the cause of the workers of our land."

The prime minister said Mr. Bain believed that the best way forward was through the power of reason.

"Many labour leaders before him had clung to the belief that battles with employers could only be won by the banging of fists on tables or the stomping of angry feet or the calling of wildcat strikes…It is to his everlasting credit that he never misused or abused the power in a way that injured the interests of union members or even the interest of our country," Mr. Christie said.

According to Father Delano Archer, who gave the sermon, Mr. Bain was a man, who saw the big picture – beyond the dollars and cents.