The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Electrical Workers Union President Paul Maynard yesterday said he and BEC officials are scheduled to sign off on the union’s new industrial agreement today, however, it is unclear if BEC Executive Chairman Leslie Miller will be present.

However, Mr Maynard said he would be signing the agreement regardless of what Mr Miller decides to do.

Mr Maynard, BEC General Manager Kevin Basden, and Mr Miller are scheduled to sign the document at 3pm today, he told The Tribune.

The expected signing comes after months of bitter feuding between Mr Miller and the BEWU. Last month the union protested outside of BEC’s headquarters and went on work-to-rule over Mr Miller’s refusal to sign the already negotiated agreement.

Mr Miller has said he would rather resign from Parliament than sign an agreement that is “not in the best interest of the people”.

Yesterday, when asked if he knew if Mr Miller actually intends to sign, Mr Maynard said he would “have to wait and see”.

“I’m signing, and the general manager is signing, so I don’t know what (Mr Miller) is going to do,” Mr Maynard said. “I don’t know if the chairman will show up at all. Whether he signs or not is his business. But trust me it’ll be signed, be it the deputy chairman or somebody. Somebody’s going to sign it. That is a given.”

Last month Mr Maynard said the union would go on strike if Mr Miller refused to honour an industrial agreement the union had “already negotiated with the government.”

Mr Maynard said Labour Minister Shane Gibson and Minister of Works and Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis had both “signed off” on the new agreement. Mr Davis is the minister responsible for BEC. However, Mr Miller had earlier denied that this was so. He said at the time that no one could sign the contract until he as chairman and the BEC board had agreed its terms and had decided whether or not to sign.

Mr Maynard claimed Mr Miller attempted to “block the deal” by hiring a new human resources and labour relations committee to review the proposed agreement.

When questioned on the matter, Mr Miller expressed concerns about the contract, particularly requests for lump sum payments and issues over rostering, and said the agreement was “not in the best interest of the people.”

Shortly thereafter Mr Maynard announced that BEWU members were operating on work to rule and would not work any overtime. He said if Mr Miller was unwilling to pay overtime then they would not work overtime – to the “detriment of the Bahamian people.”

He also previously said the union was seeking a strike vote which would have meant a “black Christmas” for the Bahamas.

During a demonstration at BEC’s main office last month, scores of irate BEC workers confronted Mr Miller and swarmed him as he got out of his car, the two parties exchanging insults and angry words over his refusal to sign the new agreement with the BEWU.

Two days later, however, Mr Maynard announced that the union had opted to be the “bigger person” and stop operating on work-to-rule.

After a meeting held between BEWU members, the director of labour and BEC officials, Mr Maynard said he reversed the BEWU’s decision to lobby for a strike poll and was not going to “put that kind of pressure on the company” by continuing its industrial action.

Yesterday, Mr Maynard said he was “happy” that the agreement was finally being signed, which would potentially put to rest months of tension between himself, BEWU members and Mr Miller.

“It is what it is,” he said. “It came to something that we could live with and I’ll go from there.”

The Tribune tried to contact Mr Miller, however, all attempts to reach him were unsuccessful up to press time.