The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement Leader Michael Pintard has accused the Davis administration of attempting to shift blame for Bahamas Power and Light's $20m annual overtime bill onto workers, arguing that the government cannot distance itself from overtime practices at a utility it manages and oversees.

Mr Pintard's comments came after the Davis administration confirmed that BPL spends about $20m annually on overtime and described the level of expenditure as "unacceptable" and "unsustainable" following a review that identified unusual patterns and anomalies.

The disclosure followed The Tribune's report that three employees in BPL's fuel and performance department collectively received more than $600,000 in overtime between May 2025 and April 2026, with monthly overtime payments ranging from about $20,000 to $25,000.

During a press conference yesterday, Mr Pintard declined to speak directly at length about the overtime controversy, but briefly acknowledged the issue while questioning the government's broader handling of BPL.

"A failing government on the energy reform. They are talking about what is appropriate for BPL and not appropriate, as if they are not the managers of BPL. They are the managers. They are responsible. They are responsible for the overtime," Mr Pintard said yesterday.

He argued that while the government has highlighted employee overtime earnings, it has not adequately explained who approved the payments or how such costs were allowed to accumulate.

The Davis administration has said any suspected wrongdoing, negligence or failure of oversight will be investigated and that action will be taken if warranted. It has also said its reforms are designed to ensure overtime is necessary, properly authorised, fairly allocated and documented, while reducing excessive working hours and fatigue-related risks.

The overtime changes have drawn opposition from the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union, which has filed a trade dispute and instructed members to work only their normal hours. The Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union has also argued that employees should not be blamed for overtime that was authorised and approved through established management processes.

Mr Pintard described the controversy as a "sideshow", arguing that the government's focus should instead be on addressing the electricity challenges facing the country. He said the administration must explain why significant outages continue despite previous claims that repairs and upgrades to the system were 95 percent complete.

“Our biggest concern is that the Minister with responsibility for Energy, the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, must give us the assurance with very specific details on how they are going to stop the reputational damage being caused to the tourism industry in the Bahamas because the lights are going off,” he said yesterday.

“People who own accommodations throughout the Family Islands are screaming about cancellations. In his own constituency, Club Med guests and employers were screaming about the outages, and further sending messages. There were persons sending messages to others to cancel coming to the Bahamas. So whether it's the healthcare system, our concern is not the side shows. In the fullness of time, we can address that. It is the main issue, which is for the Minister of Energy and the Prime Minister to address this issue.”

The overtime dispute comes amid wider questions about BPL’s management and staffing. The Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union has argued that BPL operates around the clock and that overtime can be unavoidable because of emergencies, system failures, restoration efforts, maintenance and staffing shortages.

The union has also maintained that where departments are understaffed and employees have worked excessive overtime for extended periods, management should assess staffing and workload requirements rather than blame individual workers.

The electricity sector has also undergone structural changes, with Bahamas Grid Company responsible for New Providence’s transmission and distribution network while BPL remains responsible for generation. However, BEWU president Kyle Wilson has said BPL employees continue to assist with transmission and distribution work and that a significant amount of overtime is owed to workers who have been assisting BGC.