By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
IF union leaders want BTC re-Bahamianised they will have to fight for it themselves, Labour Minister Shane Gibson said yesterday.
Mr Gibson said the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union should “put their money where their mouth is and act” rather than waiting for the government to act for them.
He was responding to BCPOU president Bernard Evans, who said he was extremely disappointed that the government has not yet regained the majority shares in the telecommunications company, as promised during the election.
Mr Evans said the members are tired and morale is low. He said they do not know how much longer they can wait on the government to fulfil its pledges.
However, Mr Gibson said the union should not sit back and wait on the government to initiate everything, but rather they should act and do something for themselves.
“I don’t know about this new generation of unions. When I was a union leader I didn’t depend on the government to do my job, I did it by myself. This new generation of union leaders seem to want the government to do everything, we can certainly give you the support base but persons must take it upon themselves to fight for what they think is rightfully theirs and to fight for what they believe in and sometimes it calls for sacrifice. I remember losing salaries on a number of occasions because I wanted something that was better, but these days it’s always blame the government, but if the union feels that strong how come I don’t see them demonstrating and seeing them making the move to have some of these things happen?” he asked.
“I would really ask them to put their money where their mouth is and let me see some action and stop just sitting back waiting on the government to initiate everything. Tell the government ‘Listen we are going to do this, we are going to get the ball rolling we want you to come in join us’, not ‘we’ll sit down and wait and when you get it started we will jump on the bandwagon when it is convenient’.They need to take the lead more and stop waiting on the government to do everything first.”
Prime Minister Perry Christie said his administration remains committed to exploring all lawful means to recover majority ownership of the Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) from Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) for the Bahamian people.
Comments
Grillup 11 years, 4 months ago
"So said ...........so done" So while in opposition criticise the FNM for everything they was doing.........then when in government, claim credit for what was actually done. So said..............so done!!!
B_I_D___ 11 years, 4 months ago
Man...it's a real b*tch working for a private company and not a government run employee slush house. You mean BTC is actually expecting WORK out of their staff?? Unbelievable!! Government never made them work, so why should you? Please...get on with your work. Just because CWC are actually holding the staff accountable to the contracts laid down and worked out by the UNION, they are going to start making noise. The ONLY reason for any government run utility is to house employees that would not be employable elsewhere in the industry and for political gain.
concernedcitizen 11 years, 4 months ago
well put !!
ThisIsOurs 11 years, 4 months ago
I don't know why they persist on this fool's errand. Perseus has already destroyed the kraken! Try some other quest.
jackflash 11 years, 4 months ago
THEY ARE JUST TRYING TO DISCOURAGE ANY NEW FORGEN DIRECT INVESTMENT!
UserOne 11 years, 4 months ago
I believe BTC should stay privatized. However, the point is the PLP did promise they would take back BTC and people expected them to fulfill that promise. I don't know why with their record.
Ironvelvet 11 years, 4 months ago
Well, well, well....is ShaMe promoting workers to protest and possibly lose their jobs? Does the minister have jobs lined up for the inevitable firings? Why is the minister asking lay people to do the job they were elected on? How can the lay person beat the almighty government?
All I can say is, workers get to work and do the job you were hired to do or quit!
concernedcitizen 11 years, 4 months ago
we got crime scaring away tourist and investors ,now is the Minister advocating interruptions in the telecoms industry ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,WOW
Islandgirl 11 years, 4 months ago
We didn't actually expect anything different from this government, now did we? These clowns need to get serious and actually govern the country.
John 11 years, 4 months ago
arent you afraid of crime too?..why you still here? @ concerned citizen
concernedcitizen 11 years, 4 months ago
is that the best you got , when are you going to resort to your tried and not true xenophobia ,,,throw in your usual racism and disdain for all other nationalities and question if i am a Bahamian ,,come on johnny your slipping on your everything and everyone that ins,t Bahamian bashing ,,big up yourself johnny boy and inflate your fragile self esteem by putting down every other nationality and race ,,,lmfao
John 11 years, 4 months ago
C&W has been ripping off the Bahamian ppl since they set foo in this country. Do you know that more than 70% of the persons and nusines selling BTC's phone cars and Top Up never make a profit? and at least 50% of the phone card vendors actually sell these products at a loss? When BTC was BTC and not C&W phone card vendors were making 25% margin to share between the wholesaler and retailer. Back then BTC was selling around $110 million in phone cards so $27 million went back to the vendors. Today with Top Up and phone cards and Data Cards, BTC is selling around $150 million. But they have reduced the margin to their vendors to 10 %. So now of the $150 million, only 15 million goes to the vendors, and while C&W can increase its divindnds to the government, plus sponsor many a major event in this country, it is still taking an additional $7-8 million more in profits out of this country..why? because it has the vendors working under slave conditions..they are not making any money..just working for free labor to C&W
B_I_D___ 11 years, 4 months ago
If the vendors are selling at a loss or zero profit, they need to stop what they are doing and find another vocation. If enough vendors stop selling the cards for zero-negative profit, CWC may need to rethink the equation to make it profitable for them again.
B_I_D___ 11 years, 4 months ago
If you are selling ANYTHING at a 'loss', more specifically, something that has a hard value on it, almost like currency, or phone cards per se...you know your fixed cost on a $20.00 card is $19.00, that's what you physically pay BTC for that card, and you turn around and sell it for $18 to make the sale...your an idiot and deserve to be losing money. If you sell it for 18.99 and it cost you 19...you are still the fool.
ThisIsOurs 11 years, 4 months ago
Who was ripping off the Bahamian people before C&W came?
The vendors need to get off the side of the road, making noise, impeding the flow of traffic, leaving crates boxes and old chairs scattered all over the place. Police do your job. If fining them doesn't work, fine the people who stop in the middle of the road to purchase
maryann 11 years, 4 months ago
But most of the street vendors selling phone card on the or doing any other businesses on the streets are Non-Bahamians , but the police turn their heads in a opposite direction when passing them. It seems like it ok to get a work permit to sell any products on the streets of the Bahamas and you do not need a permit from the business license department to sell if you comes from another Country
ThisIsOurs 11 years, 4 months ago
I'm not going to argue the point on whether you can "look" at most vendors and tell if they're Bahamian or not (I'm not a huge fan of racial profiling)... but assuming you've taken a poll of every street corner, .... Police, do your job. The laws are on the books. ACT.
and I know that these are hard times, and people need to earn a living, but there must be an orderly method of achieving the same results. Does everything in the Bahamas have to reek of illpreparedness, lack of planning, organization and cleanliness?? And take all those haphazard billboards, posters, banners and fliers down while you're at it, there are laws against that too!
My5Cents 11 years, 4 months ago
the workers should have known they would have to fight for it before they vote for the party that promised to take BTC back..another failed promise
B_I_D___ 11 years, 4 months ago
I don't actually consider this one to be a failed promise, as in order to make a promise, you really need to stand a chance...however slim...of fullfilling that promise. The PLP don't stand a chance in he** in regaining a mojority stake, and the people who voted for them thinking that was even possible are fools...and those who are waiting and being all disgruntled at BTC just waiting to suck dey teeth and dis the managers once the PLP back in control are idiots. It's NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. You are making yourself look like a fool. Get on with doing your job properly or quit. Government can't save you from this one, not any more. Better apply to BEC or WSC real quick before they get privatized!!
concernedcitizen 11 years, 4 months ago
under the old btc the cards and numbers were flying out the back door and we were paying for it with the highest minute rates and the oldest technology in the region ..now the treasury ,we the people ,are making twice as much with the newest technology and soon to be compitition ..the only people that can see this as bad are the PLP big wigs that wanted to steal the profitable cell market for nothing ,their most undereducated supporters ,and the treasury draining union ..
JohnDoe 11 years, 4 months ago
What a dangerous and disingenuous message coming from non other than the Minister of Labour himself. It is high hypocrisy because on the one hand the Minister of Labour is calling upon the BTC union to essentially become more militant because it suits his party current needs when at the same time his party is trying to break the back of the BEC union after encouraging the same BEC union to be more militant in the past when it suited their political needs. Why is it that we continue to do the same thing but expect different results.
maryann 11 years, 4 months ago
I am still waiting after three weeks for one of those rude and sour faces technicians to repair my phone which BTC continues to run me down for pay the bill,
ThisIsOurs 11 years, 4 months ago
Does the Prime Minister realize what will happen in the financial industry if there is a major disruption in telecommunications? Can he continue to sit back while his Minister of Labour incites these employees to industrial action? I am addressing the Prime Minister because clearly the Minister of Labour does not know what it means to be a minister of labour, does not know the meaning of intermediary.... and clearly the unions would not know what a "just" cause was if hit them side the head.
Do your job, if you don't like your employment terms, leave. None of the following are cruel or unusual: Asking someone to work 8hours a day, arrive on time, take 1hr for lunch, keep phone calls and personal conversations to a minimum, refrain from using company equipment for personal business, give an account of monies spent or time taken away from the office, accurately report vacation, eat breakfast before you arrive for work, not take bribes to award contracts, not steal from the cashier's cage or from company inventory. Be productive.
These are standard agreements under what is called "working for someone else". If you don't want to abide by them, its a free country, open your own business.
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