The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

BTC CEO Leon Williams yesterday denied claims that company executives were attempting to “strong-arm” and “bully” employees to agree to unfavourable terms in a new industrial agreement amid pending layoffs.

Mr Williams said he was “taken aback” by media reports in which Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) Secretary-General Dino Rolle accused him and other executives of being “nasty bullies”.

He said, as far as the industrial agreement is concerned, he thought negotiations were moving ahead well and in good faith for both parties.

Mr Williams revealed that to date, roughly 73 per cent of the clauses in BTC’s new industrial agreement has already been agreed to.

However, he admitted that those clauses that have “seen some stress and some tension” are those related to finances and the duration of the employee’s working week moving forward.

“I can say for the record, that for the first year, the increments have been signed off on by both parties and in the second to third year of the contract, increments have been signed off and agreed to,” he said at a press conference at BTC’s headquarters on JFK Drive.

“Management offered to buy out a seven-day work week which we reduced to a six-day work week and for the same price of multiple thousands of dollars the union came back and wanted to change the goal post by only wanting to work for two Saturdays out of the month.”

Mr Williams said that BTC as a part of its restructuring exercise ahead of the proposed cellular liberalisation date has been forced to make changes to make sure that the company remains viable.

“We sought to sit down with the union at the table and attempt to buy the five-day work week out. That has not gone well and so this afternoon I have offered the union a revised contract offering, sending notices out to the staff to let them know that there were some elements that the company had put on the table that we have now revised and taken them off the table.”

Meanwhile, Mr Williams dismissed reports that the company has finalised a list or a number of employees who will be made redundant.

He insisted that management remains in contact with union representatives and department heads at the company to find the best way forward.

“In order to prepare BTC for competition a couple of things needs to happen. BTC needs to bring its costs down. BTC needs to bring its prices and tariffs down.

“This is a business. BTC management has been meeting with the union since last year October. BTC management offered a voluntary separations package (VSEP) back in March. The union fought against it and asked its members to wait for redundancies.”

When pressed by reporters yesterday on an exact number of employees who could be affected by the looming layoffs, Mr Williams refused to confirm the 140 figure the BCPOU has mentioned.

When asked if BTC’s management had an exact date in mind for the layoffs, Mr Williams said: “Very soon staff will be existing under the redundancies clauses in the industrial agreement.”

When asked to clarify this he would only say: “Very soon.”

On Sunday, Mr Rolle said the union recently decided to withdraw an injunction it had filed against BTC in a sign of good faith, in hopes of “hammering out a favourable agreement”, but accused BTC of not cooperating.

Mr Rolle said employees are being threatened to concede on long-held benefits and the union is being strong-armed into signing onto unfavourable terms in a new industrial agreement.

He added that the union has heard reports that the layoffs would happen this Wednesday.

Negations between both sides are expected to continue over the next few days.