BEC chairman Leslie Miller arguing with workers yesterday as they staged a demonstration.
By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
MEMBERS of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union are operating on work to rule and will not work any overtime, union President Paul Maynard said yesterday.
He also said the union is in the process of obtaining a strike vote which could mean a “black Christmas” for the Bahamas.
During a demonstration at BEC’s main office, scores of irate BEC workers confronted Executive Chairman Leslie Miller and swarmed him as he exited his car.
Mr Miller and the crowd exchanged insults and angry words over his refusal to sign a new industrial agreement with the BEWU.
One worker shouted to Mr Miller: “You make more money than me and you can’t even pay your light bill.”
At the protest Mr Maynard, flanked by nearly 100 union members, said if Mr Miller does not want to pay them for overtime, then they will not work overtime – to the “detriment of the Bahamian people”.
The workers were protesting Mr Miller’s refusal to ratify the union’s industrial contract. Mr Maynard, who has had stand offs with the executive chairman in the past, said he will no longer tolerate disrespect from Mr Miller. He also denied that the union played a part in power outages Monday night that left a significant portion of New Providence in darkness for over eight hours.
“We did not sabotage the engines,” Mr Maynard said. “Mr Miller doesn’t want us to work overtime so we won’t. Our employees work long tireless hours away from their families trying to keep the engines going and the system going. We make up stuff all the time to keep this system going.
“We have asked the Ministry of Labour for a strike vote and we will follow through with it. We don’t have time to sabotage, we will show you what will happen when we aren’t here. If we don’t work overtime, you will see what will happen. He always complains about working overtime and what we are making so we will not work it. Mr Miller needs to get with the programme.
“Seeing that he has a problem with us working overtime, we will stop,” Mr Maynard said. “As of today, we will stop working overtime. We are on work to rule. We will not work after hours. We will not be blamed for those outages. The system is old and archaic, it will take $1.5 billion to solve. The engines broke down, that is it. It had nothing to do with us, however, if the engines break down now, we will be off, so I hope Mr Miller has a plan.”
Mr Miller spoke to reporters at the BEC compound following the demonstration.
He said he “doesn’t care if the workers protest” and if they plan on striking, he will do what “needs to be done to keep the lights on.”
Mr Maynard said the Tall Pines MP is being unreasonable by refusing to ratify the new industrial contract, especially since the union is not asking for “anything new”.
He said: “Whether Bahamians sympathise with us or not, they have to know that we are not unreasonable. We did not get anything else in that contract. We did not get more money, nothing. We understand the predicament the country is in and BEC is in. We kept the benefits we had, we gave up stuff, they gave up stuff. We came to an agreement, it is done and we are not going back to the drawing board because Mr Miller wants us to. We have no problem paying the insurance and the pension they want us to. We told them we will a long time ago, this is not our fault.”
In an earlier interview, Mr Miller said if it were up to him, Mr Maynard would be “fired on the spot” for threatening Bahamians. The Tall Pines MP said Mr Maynard’s attempt to disrupt the holidays should not be taken lightly and Bahamians as well as business owners should be “outraged by these threats.”
Nicole Martin, Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union president, was also at the protest and urged Mr Miller to do what was right for BEC’s workers.
Comments
banker 9 years, 11 months ago
And in Nassau, a Potcake was found, As many potcakes there may be, Both mongrels, whelps, and hound, And curs of low degree.
... with apologies to Oliver Goldsmith
duppyVAT 9 years, 11 months ago
Privatise BEC please!!!!!!!! But not to Blue Waters.
Change the form of fuel dependency from crude oil ........... LNG, wind/solar, biofuel etc.
Get the Government out of the public utilities generation & management business.
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 11 months ago
Just read a story of two elderly persons negatively affected by Monday's blackout. Every BEC engineer should be forced to watch a video of every single person in this country who is either thriving or hanging on solely because of electrical power supply, from premature babies, to the elderly. Forced to watch at the start of every shift to see the people they're slowly killing with their selfishness.
Arrow 9 years, 11 months ago
Poor BEC workers,working so hard away from their families . Cry me a river many Bahamians in other fields work just as hard or even harder and how many of them you see striking. BEC workers are among the best paid in the country and if cutting back on overtime will save the country money then by all means do it. I salute you Lesile Miller for taking hard stance, if they turn off the lights then they too will be in darkness. " don't fit off your nose to spite your face". I'm out writing by candle light
EnoughIsEnough 9 years, 11 months ago
ditto!
EnoughIsEnough 9 years, 11 months ago
I wonder if these workers realize they have so little sympathy from the Bahamian public. Miller should have put these workers on shifts long ago like other countries do - that way we eliminate the issue of overtime. 3 shifts of 8 hours each. then people are employed, people get paid, and the power stays on. this overtime nonsense is ridiculous. they work so little from 9 - 5 so that they can guarantee overtime. if BEC is privatized no businessman is going to agree to the ridiculous wages these workers get for overtime work.
Sickened 9 years, 11 months ago
Well said. Why wasn't a shift system put in place at the very beginning? Most likely because of the unions. These unions most likely started for good reasons but they seem to have become mini corrupt governments. I know of one worker who was caught stealing cash at Atlantis but the Union threatened strike action if she got fired. Why you ask? The union said that under the workers' contract, workers are entitled to three warnings, regardless. Atlantis was forced to keep her on. They video taped her stealing 2 more times and each time the union watched the tape but insisted that she stay on. Only after the fourth time being caught stealing money did the union agree that she could (not should) be fired. Absolutely ridiculous!!!
The_Oracle 9 years, 11 months ago
A bad situation all around, especially by the Bahamian people saddled by half a billion debt on BEC alone. Wasn't so long ago most families used candle light, kerosene, be ready to go back, for old times sake! Incompetence will get you in the end. Painfully most often.
TalRussell 9 years, 11 months ago
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2014…
John 9 years, 11 months ago
It is this type of situations that keep BEC back and Bahamians in the dark! With fuel prices being reduced by 40% on the world market, BEC can reduce consumers light bills by 30% (the fuel surcharge is 60% of the electricity bill and should be 0 when oil hits $77.00 a barrel.) They can use the other 30% of the fuel reduction to purchase new engines over the next 12 months, which should be $15 million a month if they are purchasing $50 million of fuel a month, like the potcake says. (This will total $180 million I think they said the engines cost $200 million) Then in a year or so consumers can see an addition 30% reduction in fuel bills based on the still low price of oil and the new, more efficient engines being in operation. (engines that do not run exclusively on bunker or fossil fuel ) Then there will also be additional funds made available to settle with the unions demands.. The reasonable ones that is!
DonAnthony 9 years, 11 months ago
The excessive salary and benefits this Union enjoys is born on the backs of the long suffering Bahamian public. If a corporation is losing money no bonuses should be paid, period, much less a free ride of 100% pension and health insurance that this Union demands, it is simply criminal what they have done to all of us especially the poor. I hope every B.E.C Union worker thinks of the over 4000 Bahamian households this Christmas who will be without power, as they gorge themselves. Shame on them, they are simply traitors to this country who in their greed are taking all so those with little will have none.
Greentea 9 years, 11 months ago
Electricity generation in this country is a problem that is way beyond the union and Mr Miller. they are both fighting to maintain their relevance. They are both acting selfishly and unreasonably and quite frankly both parties need to go. They are allowed to continue to be a distraction, a side show from the real problems and people we have a serious problem. I would venture to say that the problem of BEC costs this country in dollars more than crime. The fact that in 2014 the Bahamas still cannot provide consistent electrical service at a reasonable price, indicates a failure in leadership for many, many years and on multiple levels. It means that there has been a failure to effectively plan for the growth of the Bahamian population and development, that choices were made by leaders in the highest places not to invest in developing infrastructure. It reeks of years of corruption, political cronyism, a lack of business acumen of those in charge, a complete lack of vision and now we are paying the piper. The fact that the Bahamas pays the highest amount for electricity in the region and cannot guarantee service for a relatively small population is beyond a disgrace and it has very little to do with overtime. miller is counting pennies while hundred dollar bills are washed down the drain and the union is doing what unions do- look out for unsustainable interests negotiated during political seasons. The union has known for years that the infrastructure is ancient and was unsustainable- yet said nothing. I want to know the whole story. Straight. EXACTLY what is this country facing in terms of energy needs? What will it take to solve this energy crisis with a mind at truly fixing - not mending or patching or another damn quick fix- and orienting us towards the future? Why is it that after years of so called prosperity this country seems further behind today?
Sickened 9 years, 11 months ago
Wow! I like you and I don't even know you. I think that there are enough sane, sensible people on these comment pages to start a political party. And that party will not be the same as the corrupt, ancient, short-sighted etc., etc. parties that we have now. It will be a party that truly wants, and can envision, a better and brighter future for our tiny country. Well it's a nice thought; now back to reality.
TalRussell 9 years, 11 months ago
Comrades it borders on criminality when you are taking your customers hostage when a householder gets their BEC bill and it's $85 electricity usage but the fuel surcharge are like some crazy sum of $360. The 4000 plus households are not in darkness over not being able to pay their damn electricity usage bills but when you add BEC's fuel surcharge, is it a damn wonder why it forces families to make choices between, do we pay we's fuel surcharges or do we as a family put food on table eat. I say it is time for not only the unions to be read the riot act but loud and clear time for the PM read it to the always looking to pick a public fight Pot cake.The man is like a stick of dynamite with a short fuse just waiting explode in someone's face.
jackbnimble 9 years, 11 months ago
Its too much of a coincidence. Miller refuses the union's demands, the union threatens a black Christmas for Bahamians and the following day lights are off for hours. 2 + 2 still equals four Mr. Union President. A blind man can see its union sabotage. Everyone has to suffer because our toddler union is throwing a temper tantrum because they can't get their own way and continue to milk a system a which pays them twice their salaries in overtime. Boy I tell ya. Only in the 242!.
Blame is to be had on both sides. We gat a corrupt, conflict-of-interest Chairman who can't even pay his own light bill and then we gat greedy workers who cold they will continue to milk the system. I say blow it up and start over!
duppyVAT 9 years, 11 months ago
Blow it up and start over!!!!!!!!!!!! DITTO. With what? Who?
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