The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Electrical Workers Union  representatives yesterday scoffed at the suspension of two managers from Bahamas Power & Light  amid an investigation into a more than $2m fraud scheme uncovered earlier this year, claiming those “put on the shelf” this week “played no major role” in the alleged matter.

Meanwhile, three employees who were fired from BPL last week in connection with the fraud scheme have filed a trade dispute with the Department of Labour against BPL, saying they were fired without knowledge of what they allegedly did and in the absence of evidence they breached BPL’s policies. 

Speaking on the suspension of the two managers, BEWU Secretary General Astrid Bodie, in an interview with The Tribune, said the union remains “on a mission” to “put right where right should be.”

Ms Bodie, while insisting that the union doesn’t plan to stage any protest or strike action in the coming weeks, maintained that decisive action must be taken “once and for all.”

She claimed Minister of Works Desmond Bannister told the union “change is coming” at BPL and that a conclusion to the police’s investigation into the fraud scheme is imminent.

On Monday, BPL’s board of directors elected to have CEO Pamela Hill terminated, however a specific reason for Ms Hill’s firing was not given.

This was followed by the suspension of two managers on Tuesday.

A clearly frustrated Ms Bodie said on Wednesday: “They wanted to give the impression that they have been busy, I guess. These managers on suspension are not at the core of the issue.

“But the heart is (a certain) department where between the manager, assistant manager and (another high ranking employee) have (allegedly) allowed millions to walk out of BPL.”

She added: “I’ve said it once and I will continue to say it, we in the BEWU do not and have not ever condone theft. Our issues are with the fact that these three persons have been kept on despite all their failures in this scheme and other things close to this.”

According to staff at the company, employees in the department in question are required to, with any transaction, process claims under the guidance of senior personnel. This means that all transactions would have to go through an authorisation process, checked and approved by a manager, further processed by the employees and then finally signed off by that supervising manager.

Furthermore, all cheques used would have had to have been made out to a vendor recognised and sanctioned by BPL, and if any issues are raised, the audit department would step in, it was claimed.

To this end, union representatives have suggested the scheme was fostered through blatant mismanagement and errors on the part of general workers and management alike.

Ms Bodie continued Wednesday: “These three senior staff should be held accountable for the money going missing on their watch.

“BPL shouldn’t have brought them back; those three (managers in question) should have been terminated with our members.”

She added: “We are standing firm. We are not going to rest because too much foolishness has happened on their watch and we are on a mission.”

Ms Bodie yesterday also revealed the union spent most the day in meetings with Works Minister Desmond Bannister, discussing issues pertaining to the fraud.

She said the meeting was strictly based on finding out why the three managers in question have been kept on and not punished. 

Ms Bodie claimed the minister assured them that a major shake-up was on the way for the company, but didn’t offer any “firm details” on the future of the three managers in question.

“He presented his case and we will work with him,” she added. “We are not going out there protesting and breaking up the place. We’ve spoken with Minister Bannister and he has given us his word that change is coming.”

“He said the police are almost completed with their investigation and we are confident that resolution is coming,” she concluded.

Both the government and the BPL board have received copies of an audit conducted by Ernst and Young into the discovery of a five-month long scheme, which involved approximately 44 cheques paid out to 16 vendors from December 16, 2016 to May 9, 2017.

It was revealed on Monday that BPL’s board has instructed its legal counsel to demand reimbursement from PowerSecure of all funds gone missing due to the vendor fraud scheme.

Additionally, the board called on PowerSecure to “cure all deficiencies and/or breaches” set out under its management services agreement within 30 days.

BPL said its board has “addressed further critical performance issues with PowerSecure” and awaits its response within the contractually required timeframe.