The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter 

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The trade union representing Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) line staff yesterday said it will resist industrial agreement changes if the company’s sale has not been fully approved.

Bernard Evans, the Bahamas Communication and Public Officers Union’s (BCPOU) president, said he has asked Labour Minister, Dion Foulkes, to verify whether Liberty Global has taken ownership control at BTC. 

“We have asked to meet with our new apparent owner, Liberty Global,” Mr Evans said. “We have leveraged our ties with our regional affiliates, and through those correspondences we have been told that everything hasn’t been finalised. We ought not to be entertaining any changes if they are not the rightful owner of the company.

Liberty Global announced last May that it had completed the acquisition of Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC), BTC’s controlling shareholder, for $7.4 billion.

However, the company confirmed in recent filings with the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) that it has yet to receive all necessary regulatory approvals in the Bahamas.

That was also affirmed by Khaalis Rolle, the former minister of state for investments, who said the Attorney General’s Office was still assessing several aspects of the Liberty Global transaction prior to the general election.

Mr Evans, meanwhile, slammed what he described as the increased outsourcing of jobs at BTC to third-party vendors and providers.

“We are about to enter negotiations on a new industrial agreement, and we are not going to allow the new principals to talk about competition and the eroding of revenue,” he said. 

“Prior to the sale in 2011, CWC had told the Government that in four to five years there would be competition, and so when they came in they were allowed to offload staff.

“The first wave was almost 600. Now there’s almost a skeleton crew, and they now have a new product on steam.”

Mr Evans added: “There is no doubt that these multinational companies have been trying to eliminate the relevance of unions and we’re going to be on our guard. 

“The BCPOU is going to stand resolute and this is no threat. We have done our due diligence.  We have seen the numbers and we knew what was coming down the pipeline. We are about to present our proposal to them in the coming days and we will await their counter proposal.”