The Tribune

THE die is cast.

Yesterday – November 21 – BEC chairman Leslie Miller gave instructions that from that day forward the electrical corporation will pay full salary for the first three days of a staff member’s sick leave. However, for the remainder of his sick leave he will have to — like all other Bahamians – apply to the National Insurance Board (NIB) – for benefits owed him for the remainder of his time off. Like all other Bahamian businesses, BEC contributes to NIB on behalf of its staff. And so, as of yesterday, “double-dipping” – as Mr Miller called it – came to an end at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation.

If that happens, union president Stephano Greene has threatened to turn off the lights.

“We intend to take immediate action against the corporation,” thundered Mr Greene, “because we are not prepared to sit back and allow the corporation to continue to violate our contract.”

The tragedy of Mr Greene’s position is that his union has no contract that permits “double-dipping”.

Yet this iniquitous practice has probably been going on — at least in the public service — from the day national insurance was introduced on December 12, 1972.

Double-dipping is a practice by which an employee collects his full salary while on sick leave from his employer, then goes to NIB to collect an additional third of his salary from NIB. This is not allowed under the National Insurance Act, nor is it provided for in the Bahamas Electricity Corporation and Bahamas Electrical Workers Union’s industrial agreement.

Mr Greene thinks otherwise. However, before he goes any further in his reckless behaviour, he would be well advised to get a good lawyer to interpret this section of the agreement for him.

BPSU president John Pinder has estimated that there are at least 20,000 public servants double-dipping at an annual cost of about $8 to $10 million to the taxpayers of this country. No wonder the Bahamas is broke. No wonder, the Christie government wants to raise new taxes, rather than cut out the built-in inequities and fraud in almost every corner of government.

The scandal in all of this is that BEC, which is now in a loss position, has provided a medical fund, which today has accumulated enough for each staff member to have a $1 million annual fund from which to draw. This is a fund to which BEC staff have not contributed a cent. And yet, they have threatened to strike to suck even more out of the corporation — a corporation in which Mr Miller is desperately trying to reduce expenses so that the cost of electricity can be reduced for the many Bahamians who can no longer afford to turn on their lights. Nor do they have all the perks that BEC staff enjoy – perks that that staff obviously do not appreciate.

Of course, BEC unionists are angry with Mr Miller because he has cut their annual $12 million overtime down to $4.2 million this year. Again, this abuse of overtime is the reason the average Bahamian’s electricity bills are so high.

This is also why staff perks at BEC — pensions, medicals, bonuses, “double-dipping” – are making the Bahamas less competitive in the tourist industry. The hotels cannot cut expenses because the cost of living in this country is far too high, and labour in general is not up to standard. For example, a hotel’s electricity cost in Florida would be about $3 to $3.5 million compared to the Bahamas’ $5.5 million per month.

Mr Greene has threatened to pull a strike if his union is no longer allowed to “double-dip”. In fact he would be doing Mr Miller a favour if he did so.

“If Greene goes on a wild cat strike at BEC, infringes on the Bahamian people and puts them in dire straits by turning off lights, Mr Greene will not be at BEC after that, he will not be there,” Mr Miller has warned.

“I want him to know I’m gunning for him for these threats that he continues to make on the lives of the Bahamian people.”

Mr Miller has warned that anyone at BEC jeopardising Bahamians will be fired.

He already has a contingent willing to take their places. This will enable him to start afresh with fair conditions of employment that will not only secure the worker, but would lower the cost of electricity for Bahamians.

Mr Miller says BEC’s union forgets that BEC is owned by the people — not by the union.

It is now up to the Christie government to eliminate “double-dipping” wherever it exists in the public service.