By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Electrical Workers Union President Paul Maynard said yesterday he “welcomed a lawsuit” from Bahamas Electricity Corporation Chairman Leslie Miller if it means “the truth will finally be revealed”.
Mr Maynard told The Tribune he is “unmoved” by threats of legal action from Mr Miller and said he “hopes he goes through with it.”
Mr Miller threatened to sue Mr Maynard after The Tribune published contents of a letter the union leader sent to Labour and National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson last week Tuesday.
In the letter, Mr Maynard alleged that Mr Miller is using the controversial issue of overtime pay “as a smoke screen” for the “unethical things” that Mr Maynard claimed he is doing at BEC. He also claimed that Mr Miller signed an engine maintenance contract without board approval and was a “consultant” for the firm in question.
Last week Mr Miller strongly denied the allegations.
He told The Tribune: “I’m sending this to my lawyer, Mr Anthony McKinney, to take action against Maynard for these scurrilous accusations sent to Mr Gibson.”
“I don’t care what Mr Miller does,” Mr Maynard said when contacted yesterday.
“As a matter of fact, I hope he does sue, then maybe everyone will see the truth and see what I have been saying all along. I stand by what I said. The letter wasn’t addressed to him anyway, it was for the minister but if it means everything will come to light, I welcome it. I fear no one, but God. He can’t say I defamed his character because he does not have a character to defame.”
In the letter, Mr Maynard said the union is aware that Mr Miller allegedly signed a contract with Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC) to maintain BEC’s engines “without the board’s approval or knowledge.”
“The union is also aware that Mr Miller has the company BWSC lined up to do work for the company known as Power Secure if they are the ones selected to partner with the government in managing BEC,” Mr Maynard claimed. “Furthermore, the union is also aware that Mr Miller is a consultant for the company BWSC that is located in Denmark, but has been maintaining BEC’s engines at Clifton Pier for many years for the cost of $500,000 per engine to overhaul. However, when the employees (do) it on overtime, it only costs the corporation $150,000 per engine to overhaul. The only way to bring both figures down drastically is to change those outdated engines that continuously breaks down to gas turbines, which is more efficient and reliable. Mr Miller knows all of this because he did a thorough research on the overtime situation cost and what needs to be done to stop it or curb it to a minimum.”
Mr Maynard also alleged that Mr Miller was “being very deceitful to the government and the Bahamian public.”
Mr Miller said Mr Maynard’s claims were not true, also the figure Mr Maynard claims BEC is paying BWSC to service its engines is “false.”
“Leslie Miller as chairman has signed absolutely no contract without the board’s notice,” the Tall Pines MP added. “We (have) a normal contract with BWEC to maintain the engines. We have it because the workers out at Clifton refuse to service them. It’s just a pure lack of maintenance and slackness at Clifton that caused us to hire this group. The best engines we ever had were the ones we purchased from BWEC.”
Calls to Labour Minister Shane Gibson for comment yesterday were not returned up to press time.
Comments
duppyVAT 9 years, 3 months ago
Yeh man!!!!!!!!!!! Let them sling mud in the courts...... hope the case comes up before 2017!!!!!!!
realfreethinker 9 years, 3 months ago
So the union boss knows where the bodies are buried too ? This will be interesting. Everytime these guys get catch with their pants down ( Gray) they threaten to sue but never do hmmmmmmmmmmm
Publius 9 years, 3 months ago
Look Mr. Union man. If there is truth to be revealed, reveal it now, not when a court case that shall never happen, doesn't happen.
duppyVAT 9 years, 3 months ago
SUE ............ PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .................SUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John 9 years, 3 months ago
How much money and misery this BEC Union has caused the Bahamian people even from granny was a teenager? Maybe we all need to pray for electricity to become an obsolete commodity or at least a non essential service.
asiseeit 9 years, 3 months ago
Exactly! If there is something that is not supposed to be happening and is NOT in the best interest of the Bahamian people, the person or persons who know about it have a responsibility to make it known. By NOT reporting said actions or behavior YOU are just as much a TRAITOR as the person committing the transgression. The problem in The Bahamas is that EVERYONE in any sort of government job seems to be doing some sort of corrupt or illegal activity, so no one will stand up and do what is right. Therefore, the 85% of us regular Bahamians are totally screwed.
TheMadHatter 9 years, 3 months ago
Just remember when you're being "totally screwed" that the Pope just say today that you don't have to "breed like rabbits". Yeah, he did say that.
TheMadHatter
John 9 years, 3 months ago
You still have to wonder why Perry Christie and the PLP government seem to have Leslie Miller to do battle with the BEC Union alone? Don't they realize it is useless traveling all over the world seeking investors unless you have sufficient, affordable and a reliable power supply? Leslie miller seem to have brought the union from the 50 yard line to the 5 yard line all by himself. He only needs the backing of his government to make the touch down. It may just be a matter on convincing these greedy, selfish overpaid negroes that if they come together and work with management and get the power supply stabilized and reliable then the entire country benefits. Pay raises do not necessarily have to come in the form of more money on your paycheck. If you bring down the cost of electricity then the cost of many other things including food will come down. So if you stop being selfish and greedy and power struck you, BEC Union can increase the purchasing power of every Bahamian and every person living in this country. You, BEC workers can improve the quality of life for every Bahamian by not having they live in a country of constant blackouts or the threat of them. STOP. Being a wuss and take one for team Bahamas!
CDMortimer 9 years, 3 months ago
@John.....I understand your point, but the problem is not just BEC Union or the workers that Union represents. Bahamians must realize that corruption and duplicitous-behaviour seems to be innate in every sector of our country. Leslie Miller isn't doing anything nor has he done anything for the welfare of the Bahamas, or Bahamian people! John you're here saying or making it seem that (Miller) is fighting the sole transgressors--when in actuality Leslie Miller has been alleged to be, one of...if not the biggest/worse transgressor this country has ever been victimized by. Yes, the overtime situation at BEC is one that was shocking once revealed, but what Leslie Miller has been accused of doing (not just recently), but also over his tenure in frontline politics/holding governmental position is even more egregious. The sad reality is that this type of behaviour (the behaviour that Mr. Maynard is accusing Leslie Miller of partaking), will continue to plague this country, "if someone is abusing their office....why in the HELL is it so difficult for the individuals with the facts or evidence of the wrongdoing, playing the counter-attack game?" If you have evidence of wrongdoing it should be dealt with by this evidence and the facts being brought to light; without being forced or coerced!
All the trifling BS that Leslie Miller and all the other "Country-Pimps---i.e. politicians" have done "allegedly"--and has been overlooked or swept under the governmental-rug, will continue...unless they're all kicked in their behinds out of a window or through a closed door; this is darn-right ridiculous.
realfreethinker 9 years, 3 months ago
CDMortimer you are so right. leslie Miller gat the wool pull right over their eyes. He claim to be fighting for the Bahamians ,but he see nothing wrong with him not paying his bill. When will Perry learn he is nothing but a loud mouth,egomaniac, trifling piece of shit.
CatIslandBoy 9 years, 3 months ago
While I am not a fan of Mr. Miller, it seems to me that this Maynard fella is just "blowing smoke......". I'm sure if he had any shred of evidence to support his assertions against the chairman, he would have revealed the same many moons ago. This Union leader is a dangerous individual, with a sense of entitlement, who is giving all union leaders in the country a bad name.
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