By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
The Water & Sewerage Corporation's (WSC) two trade unions are planning to stage a "wildcat withdrawal of enthusiasm" today amid claims staff morale is at an "all-time low".
Dwayne Woods, the Bahamas Utilities Service and Allied Workers Union (BUSAWU) president, said itself and the management union plan to co-operate with joint action as he revealed his members had also expressed fears that their workplace conversations were being "bugged" and recorded.
Such allegations were last week denied by Adrian Gibson, the Water & Sewerage Corporation's executive chairman, when they were made by middle management union members, and the state-owned utility's executives yesterday pledged they would not be distracted by Mr Woods' "frivolous and attention-seeking efforts" and claimed he was undertaking "a vendetta".
But, undaunted, Mr Woods yesterday promised: "Tomorrow [today], both unions will be outside. We will have a joint press conference and we will be wildcat-ing tomorrow. We’re going to be addressing a multiplicity of concerns. We’d like to call it a withdrawal of enthusiasm. Worker morale is at an all-time low right now. We will demonstrate that on Tuesday."
He confirmed that his members had also expressed fears about being placed under surveillance and eavesdropping, which Mr Gibson last week dismissed “baseless and absolutely false”.
Ednol Rolle, the Water & Sewerage Management Union’s (WSMU) president, had told this newspaper he had been “scared” by continuing complaints from his members that their workplace conversations were being listened into and recorded. He had called for the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) to “sweep” the corporation’s offices for “illegal listening devices”.
“My members have reported similar concerns,” said Mr Woods. “We support the management union wholeheartedly.”
However, Elwood Donaldson, the Water & Sewerage Corporation's general manager, told Tribune Business yesterday: “We are not aware of any multiplicity of issues. The only issue is the outstanding industrial agreement and he hasn’t presented a proposal. It expired last year and we are awaiting a proposal.
"He has been making inconsistent and erroneous statements in the media over the past several weeks. We are not interested in being distracted from the great work that the corporation has undertaken by Mr Woods and his frivolous and attention-seeking exercises. Mr Woods needs to encourage his members to collectively strive to make the corporation better. He appears to be on a personal vendetta and it has become one.”
Comments
Clamshell 5 years, 1 month ago
A “wildcat withdrawal of enthusiasm”? Really?? LMAO, that is the funniest thing I’ve ever read in my life!!!
sealice 5 years, 1 month ago
Come on guys.... why you going to have the same people that put the bugs in your office in the first place come there to sweep for the bugs? This is why you all graduated with "D"ssssszzzzzz.....
rawbahamian 5 years, 1 month ago
Your conversations are not being bugged, your coworkers are pimping you off because the bugging accusers are the trouble makers, that's all !!!
thephoenix562 5 years, 1 month ago
Hit the nail on the head brother.
TheMadHatter 5 years, 1 month ago
Too bad this union guy could not name even 3 things he is upset about (besides the bugging). No issues?
geostorm 5 years, 1 month ago
The morale is low, because the members are used to slackness. So happy Mr. Adrian Gibson is doing a great job holding all of them accountable.
B_I_D___ 5 years, 1 month ago
In other words, yet another ILLEGAL strike from our so called unions.
Shameful.
bogart 5 years, 1 month ago
...?????????.......WHAT ENTHUSIASM....???????......frankly dont matter what dey chooses to do wid dere ....ENTHUSIASM.....so long da paid for job duties is done per job description...goals set...as mandated.....now if there is union induced negative actions or inactions... dat affects other employees corporate image...negating productivity... services ....losing revenue....derailing goals investments in effecting better services...productivity....dats a VACANCY for a suitable team functioning player(s)....
sheeprunner12 5 years, 1 month ago
Thank God that Mr. Gibson is trying to clean up this albatross .......... a breath of fresh air in this stale environment of nepotism and slackness ......... Need a few like him in Cabinet as well.
Sickened 5 years, 1 month ago
A strike only means that the workers will be standing outside doing nothing instead of sitting inside doing nothing.
realfreethinker 5 years, 1 month ago
LOL
hrysippus 5 years, 1 month ago
How much Woods would a Woods chuck chuck if a Woods chuck could chuck Woods? Answer: none if he is a union leader because he hasn't done any work for four years...…..
BMW 5 years, 1 month ago
I respect Mr. Gibson for the job he is doing in cleaning up the W.S.C. not an easy job when you have to deal with entitled minded union members of the woods type. He should have been kicked to the roadside long ago!!!!!! Do what you have to do Mr. Gibson.
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