The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Telecommunications Company management and the Bahamas Communications and Public Managers Union met on the third floor of the main branch office at John F Kennedy Drive yesterday.

BCPMU president Talbot Collie reiterated a demand to have Elizabeth Thompson reinstated to her senior manager position.

He said: “The position that management has taken in dismissing an executive of the union, the admission that it is without cause, the subsequent letter or correspondent from management, suggests there may have been some reasons that motivated their action.

“But, of course, that is inappropriate, distasteful. I think disgraceful is a better way to put that,” adding that a person could not be terminated for a set of reasons and then “come back subsequently and then say ‘Oh there are a few other reasons why’.”

“The precedence is that someone in this country could be terminated under an industrial agreement for a reason outside of the industrial agreement. That is what is troubling,” he added.

“As a last ditch effort, we went in with management to express and reiterate our concern with this development hoping that they would reinstate our Vice President, even in the interim as they seek whatever advice they deem necessary.”

When asked what action the union would take, if any, he said that with BTC management rejecting their demand, “we have to do what we have to do.”

“This is a very troubling situation” Mr Collie said.

“The union has a number of options at its disposal. A trade dispute has already been filed and under the law, there are certain things that can be done subsequent to the filing of a trade dispute and we will examine those options.”

Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) president Bernard Evans said: “My members stand ready to follow the lead of whatever management decide, and we’re going to follow suit on that.”

Speaking on BTC management’s dismissal of their demands, Mr Evans said: “They don’t give a hill of beans about people in the Caribbean. They don’t give a hill of beans about governments in the Caribbean. They have taken advantage and rolled over whomever they find that is going to be in their way.

“This is a blatant, blatant violation of our industrial agreement and our constitution. They don’t give a damn, excuse my French. They don’t care and we frankly don’t care nothing about them. As since they want to fight with the management of unions, we in the BCPOU stand ready to fight along with our brothers and sisters in the management union. As a matter of fact, I already told Mr Collie, if you don’t want to lead a little bit, he could follow our lead.’

Ms Thompson, who stood outside the BTC headquarters when word reached that she was not being reinstated, said she was disappointed by the results of the meeting.

“I’m a little numbed and disappointed by the disregard for Bahamian workers,” she said.

“We are Bahamians. We live here. We work here and we’re entitled to work if we are qualified.

“And no one ought to violate that particular right or any other. And so I am disappointed. I’m concerned for us as unionists and about the union movement. I’m fairly, fairly concerned. I can’t put it any stronger than that.”

Her attorney, Glendon Rolle, said it was an attack on all trade unions in the Bahamas.

“This is not an attack on Elizabeth Thompson, but rather, it is an attack on the Vice President of an Independent trade union, and an attack on all trade unions in the Bahamas,” the attorney said.

“Ms Thompson exercised her right under Article 24 of the Constitution of the Bahamas with reference to the Freedom of Association and the right to join a Trade Union of her choice.”

Mr Rolle said that Ms Thompson was hired in 2008 as a senior manager, “and not as an in-house counsel as purported in the BTC press release of October 23, 2012.”

The attorney said that no foreign company ought to be allowed into the Bahamas and violate the rights of hard working Bahamian workers “which are guaranteed under our constitution while at the same time, they are diligently fighting to ensure jobs for expatriates and non Bahamians.”

When asked if she would support the union if they decided to strike, she said: “I support my union.”