The protest outside Bahamas Power and Light yesterday. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT
tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Power and Light employees demonstrated outside the company’s headquarters yesterday, with the union representing line staff at the utility provider saying it is giving management 14 days to resolve all outstanding matters or face its “wrath”.
Yesterday at 9am, dozens of BPL staff walked off the job in a show of solidarity against executive management. According to Bahamas Electrical Workers Union President Kyle Wilson, management has disrespected and mistreated staff.
He also claimed management has violated the industrial agreement between the company and the union.
The union members said “enough is enough” and called upon the government to do something about their plight.
“Try us, try the union and see if we joking,” Mr Wilson said yesterday.
He said options on the table for the union include seeking remedy at the Industrial Tribunal, the Supreme Court or industrial action.
Mr Wilson and his union are asking for the removal of BPL CEO Whitney Heastie, who he says is a major part of the problem.
“The previous environment of merit within BPL has been discarded by CEO Heastie and replaced with one of kisses by favour. This has resulted in the denial of expected benefits of deserving employees. What we now have is gross favouritism, unfair promotions, unfair hiring and reckless skip overs. Desmond Bannister, deputy prime minister and minister in charge of BPL and works, please step in now,” he said.
“We give them 14 good days to fix our problems or face the wrath of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union. We say enough is enough and we will no longer tolerate the disrespect levied at our union by the incompetent and failed leadership of BPL. Senior management led by Mr Heastie has constantly demonstrated an inability to communicate in a respectful dignified manner with the union.”
For some time now the union has complained about conditions at the power company, even taking some matters to court for judges to decide.
Mr Wilson said the results of management’s unilateral and insensitive actions have created a division between management and the union. He said staff are at the point where they want Mr Heastie and a human resources official gone.
“This unilateral disrespectful attitude by management is what the union pledges to eradicate and eliminate from our work environment,” Mr Wilson continued. “Either Mr Heastie and his team changes this counterproductive behaviour or the government has to remove them. Enough is enough. This day is the last day the union will tolerate their mean-spirited ways and insensitive behaviour towards the membership.”
The union has serious issues with what it deems as unnecessary hiring of expatriate workers; the failure, it says, of the human resources department towards solving union matters; the blaming of staff for the faults of the Wartsila plant; the mishandling of the COVID pandemic at BPL; sending workers back to hurricane affected islands when their homes were destroyed; allegedly breaching the industrial agreement and a faulty payroll system, among other issues.
Mr Wilson also said there are complaints about alleged sexual harassment within BPL, which he claimed have not been properly investigated. He also claimed staff at remote locations on the Family Islands have to defecate in bushes as there are no proper restroom facilities for them.
He also cast doubt on officials’ prediction that BPL would not have issues with load shedding this summer.
The walk out included BPL workers on the Family Islands as well. Their instructions were to leave whatever they were doing and step outside of the building until instructed otherwise.
When The Tribune arrived on the scene of the protest, a serious police presence was noted and some press members were not allowed to come on to the property.
The BEWU had the full support of all other unions in the Bahamas, including the umbrella union, the National Congress of Trade Unions.
“The union is trying to work with the company but we are constantly hitting a brick wall,” Mr Wilson said.
“. . .Three weeks after receiving the new industrial agreement proposal from the union, they claimed they lost the document. This was just days before we were to begin negotiations. There are so many other issues we are trying to resolve and to this point we have got nothing done.”
BPL in a statement called the industrial action yesterday illegal. By Monday afternoon, BPL union members were back on the job.
Comments
sheeprunner12 3 years, 4 months ago
These BPL people have NO conscience ........ they make FIVE times the average salary of a line staff civil servant and still want more .......... What can be done about this greed????????
benniesun 3 years, 4 months ago
@sheeprunner12 - Your attitude is one given to you by the corrupt politicians and elites who play Bahamian citizens against each other. The industrial salary is on par with others. In fact, if BPL employees were to be replaced by foreigners, then they would get paid much more as in the case of the BPL manager of Abaco and W&S manager Eleuthera. The politicians and elites do not want the average Bahamian salary to rise but to remain low - and to eradicate what is left of good jobs for Bahamians. Be happy that some Bahamians are still getting good salaries as those jobs and skill sets are on the way to extinction (eg Batelco). Who do you think are manning the BPL Wartsilla plant?
sheeprunner12 3 years, 4 months ago
BPL is almost $1 billion in public debt to the Government/people ...... so who will have the money to continue to bail out this garbage corporation? ...... This is still the old BEC that was "dressed up" by the crooked Christie regime under Gravy Davis during the last PLP regime..
A big albatross that must be liquidated and sold off ..... like many others.
DWW 3 years, 4 months ago
sounds like spoilt brats to me. poor babies don't like their job. At least they have one, and a pretty good one too. What is the average salary at BPL? Faulty payroll system - do they mean not getting paid for days they didn't go to work like in the old days? And if a generator breaks down due to lack of maintenance is that a staff problem or a management problem? surely you can't blame the equipment for not being able to change its own oil.
Dawes 3 years, 4 months ago
Anyone involved with BPL can congratulate themselves on being part of the reason this country is in the situation it is. They have never been able to keep the power on, and charge a fortune for the lousy service they give. I am sure most people would be happy when the day comes and we can be rid of BPL.
Sickened 3 years, 4 months ago
These Union clowns are at it again? Why can't these roaches stay in the shadows and leave the rest of us right-thinking Bahamians alone?
Unions should now be outlawed. They served their purposes back in the day when Pindling and his clowns robbed from everyone and everywhere.
licks2 3 years, 4 months ago
Just look at the front line marchers. . .that is how we do it right before election times!! If the PLP is the government. . .the whole damn FNM supporters unions all over the place "making upset" to make the government look bad. And if the FNM is government the PLP supporters unions all over the place "causing upset". . . that how we do this thing!!
Ya know BPL "carn even fix they mouths" to say the things they are saying. . .they gatta be crazy!! I want to know who they are giving the services to? It sure can't be us? Hell, "one lil" rain and ya wondering if ya light will stay on!! Yinna een got a hope if there is a "lil piece" of lightening!!
Relax peoples them. . .this is how we do it around election times!!
Sickened 3 years, 4 months ago
You want to know what a D average looks like? Look at the top picture. That's a bunch of D's following a D- over a cliff.
tribanon 3 years, 4 months ago
These union leaders are not just dumb. They are criminal thugs of the highest order who very deliberately instigate the sabotaging of very expensive equipment by their Gestapo squad of union members if their extortionist demands are not met.
thephoenix562 3 years, 4 months ago
LOL. So true
tribanon 3 years, 4 months ago
All of the more senior union thugs in our country today have been shepherded and protected by our corrupt politicians who seem to fear them more than they fear the Bahamian voters.
Minnis, Bannister, Dames, Foulkes and the entire board of directors and senior management team at BPL have allowed the senior union thugs to have free reign in instigating the terrorization of the Bahamian people and businesses with power failures caused by the sabotaging of turbines, generators, transformers and grid lines.
And because no one responsible for these treacherous activities is ever arrested or made accountable in any serious way for their criminal conduct, the Bahamian people and our nation's businesses and economy are made to suffer from the extortionist tactics of these criminal union thugs that are always deliberately timed to occur at the hottest time of the year.
These thuggush union leaders, and our corrupt politicians who are forever kowtowing to their extortionist criminal behaviour, are without a doubt all a most serious threat to our national security and the overall well-being of the Bahamian people.
bogart 3 years, 4 months ago
Indeed, indeed tru, tru views very good Tribanon, but then again earlier this same month, weeks, days ago, these unionists were parading with their political supporters on a Covid restricted parade, but now weeks days later same month their well populated political tee shirt group is nowhere in sight! not one in sight. Their political supporters just very cleverly sweethearted them an nowhere to be seen.
trueBahamian 3 years, 4 months ago
BPL historically ahs been overstaffed and employees were fleecing the system salarywise. Added to this we are getting a substandard service at a very high cost. If management is bringing in foreigners to do jobs that locals can do this further exacerbates the situation. Can we please privatize this company and move on. This is a gross waste of taxpayer money.
bahamianadvocate 3 years, 4 months ago
BPL's line staff union would rather sink the entire company than let it be ran efficiently. Its clear that BPL financial status is in a hole but that does not mean anything to this union and the union president.
sheeprunner12 3 years, 4 months ago
Most of these BPL workers have basic HS education with some OTJ training ........ but get paid as if they are top skilled civil servants with Masters degrees.
Hard to figure out this salary discrepancy .........
Bahamianbychoice 3 years, 4 months ago
I would be very interested in hearing what the former Director of Generation, as well as what the former Board Members take is on this. I am wondering why Wartsila was not initially approved, but suddenly after the quick exit of the former Director of Generation this company was back in the picture. My guess is there was a reason BPL chose not to go with this company initially and we are as consumers experiencing why (faulty engines), of course after spending millions of tax payer dollars on these engines. This court case between the former Directors and the Government needs to be heard!! I think as tax payers it will be shocking what has happened under present Management and Board at this company.
sheeprunner12 3 years, 4 months ago
Let the Bahamian People know what these so-called BPL Executives & senior managers get paid & perks .......... at our expense and inconvenience when a surge burns up our equipment/appliances with no refund etc ............ Who is accountable to who??????? ........... Bannister etc just cover for their crap.
Dawes 3 years, 4 months ago
Yes Wartsila, who operate in a huge number of countries around the world, with no issues, is responsible for Bahamas having faulty engines. Bahamas where BPL and BEC before have never been able to run the engines well for a short period of time. Makes sense
Bahamianbychoice 3 years, 4 months ago
Actually it does make sense when you step back and see the amount of money (100M plus) that has been paid for these engines..that are being run only by persons from Wartsila.. and yet we are still experiencing outages. Bahamar is running on generator and Atlantis has not even close to capacity. So yes I would ask as a taxpayer why this is happening.
Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 4 months ago
It doesn't make sense. Like Dawes says, they have a considerable worldwide presence, and a business that is successful seemingly everywhere except The Bahamas (Nassau). The fact that Emera has been successful in keeping the lights on in Grand Bahama for a while now, would suggest that the problem lies with the BPC/BEC workforce or management
Bahamianbychoice 3 years, 4 months ago
Yes Emera has been successful and didn’t they let go BPL‘S present CEO? So I agree with you it appears Managment may be the problem. But since Wartsila persons are being paid to keep the engines on I still want to know why they cannot.
JohnQ 3 years, 4 months ago
BPL apparently has problems that are not just limited to the Union eligible employees. Management has not been able to secure an agreement with a world class provider of LNG. Management has not been able to ensure that the delivery of fuel oil that meets industry quality standards. Management has not been able eliminate the ongoing fuel oil pollution of the environment. Management has not been able to ensure the safe and reliable delivery of electricity to the customer base. Management has not been able to submit, process and account for payments or non payments for electrical energy use throughout the country. Who is responsible for Management? The Bahamian Government.
John 3 years, 4 months ago
Maybe the Union needs more white members . Just don’t let them go home and come back when they disgruntled.
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