Darnell Osbourne
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Power & Light expects to save $3.3 million by replacing three of its expatriate employees with seven Bahamian employees, Press Secretary Anthony Newbold revealed yesterday.
This comes as BPL’s board prepares to restructure the company, moving further away from PowerSecure’s short tenure as manager.
BPL board Chairwoman Darnell Osbourne said yesterday: “When you add all the salaries of the executives and also the management fee, we were paying close to $5m per annum. When you look at the replacement of the CEO, the COO, four new directors and even a new manager, you still only come up to about $1.1m, so you’re talking about saving well over three million.”
PowerSecure was paid a base management fee of $2m per year.
Mrs Osbourne suggested that in addition to cost-savings, the company will reap qualitative improvements because new positions, which did not exist under PowerSecure, will be created in the new era.
“You were paying these individuals that amount of money, bearing in mind you were also paying Bahamian executives, but you didn’t have attention to things like the environment which was supposed to be addressed by the management of PowerSecure and renewables were not being addressed either,” she said.
“In the best interest of the corporation, they need to be put in place. We are also looking at the risk function of the organisation and a position is planned to address that as well. Given issues with procurement we have decided we need somebody directly over that.”
PowerSecure removed the position of assistant general manager with responsibility for Family Islands when it managed the company.
BPL’s board intends to bring that position back and make the person responsible for Family Islands a director.
“Some positions will be filled in due course,” Mrs Osbourne said. “We need the CEO and COO in place.”
BPL’s board recently announced that Whitney Heastie has been appointed CEO and Christina Alston will be the COO.
Two weeks ago, the board made a presentation to Cabinet explaining its plans for BPL, although the final version of its business plan has not yet been released.
Mr Newbold said yesterday: “Board members spoke to various aspects of BPL’s proposed business plan…Directors would be responsible for each of the following areas under the COO: generation services, transmission and distribution, Family Island operations, technical planning/renewables, and procurement/supply chain. An additional five directors with responsibilities for customer service, security/investigations, human resources and internal communications, health, safety and environment and information technology would report to the chief financial officer. Some of the posts would have to be advertised.”
Comments
The_Oracle 7 years, 1 month ago
Sorry, I have to ask, it takes 7 Bahamians to replace 3 expats? Did they focus so hard on the $$ savings they missed this? "Indictment a thing that serves to illustrate that a system or situation is bad and deserves to be condemned."
Groidal 7 years, 1 month ago
LMFAO! 7 Bahamians to replace 3 expats!! As a proud Bahamian I'm ashamed to say,...that sounds about right
bogart 7 years, 1 month ago
If you are dealing with changing light bulbs it could be more in that it takes six to hold the ladder and one to climb up.....mind you more will be needed as there was no one to actually check the light to see if it was actually blown and needed changing in the forst place.....
DDK 7 years, 1 month ago
Sadly hilarious!
My2cents 7 years, 1 month ago
The first sentence is misleading. The gist of the article is not that it will take seven Bahamians to replace three expats.
The new positions will be created to cover areas that should have been covered by management, but were not. Probably because they were understaffed and overpaid.
They seem to be moving in the right direction.
ohdrap4 7 years, 1 month ago
y these people with the 200000 salaries usually do not do crap.
IRussell 7 years, 1 month ago
Thank you My2cents.
Porcupine 7 years, 1 month ago
I hope they're not being penny wise and pound foolish. Larger salaries are sometimes commensurate with the ability to run a successful business. What are the benchmarks here yet? We'll have to wait and see, eh?
My2cents 7 years, 1 month ago
The larger salaries for the expats likely included allowances for living expenses and travel among other incentives. A Bahamian with equal talents and qualifications, even one recruited from abroad, would be significantly lower.
I recalled watching international house hunters a few years ago and the living allowance for a marketing director moving to the Bahamas enabled her to look at rentals in the $8k p/m range. I looked up her profile then and I was not impressed. I think many of these expats are not impressive and not worth their exorbitant salaries and perks. Good move by BPL.
TheMadHatter 7 years, 1 month ago
So 44 years after independence the salary of the Bahamian negro remains shamefully low. Very sad.
TalRussell 7 years, 1 month ago
Comrades! International Credit Reporting Agencies (ICRA ) keep telling this and the previous government that out of the 26,000 workers on the public purse's payroll - 13,000 are totally unnecessary to perform any kinds worthwhile tasks. Of the remaining 13,000, no less than 6,500 are a useless bunch tits...... Yet. Minnis, KP and Dionisio, have only managed to send home a total of '100' flat-chested useless tits. { You can't make this 100 number up }.
bogart 7 years, 1 month ago
While the top was making these big salaries what about the bottom where workers were making a number of times their salary in overtime as the former Leslie Miller had pointed out..... Does this mean that both the top and bottom were squeezing the daylights out of us the taxpayer....? What ever fod happen to the theft of oil from the Eleuthera tank.....?
rawbahamian 7 years, 1 month ago
They can replace 3 expats with 7 Bahamians on their salaries and still save money ! Awesome !!!
bogart 7 years, 1 month ago
Only two political parties have been sitting at the same PEOPLES PARLIAMENT for how many years dince independence 1973 and the size of the govt is noone else fault. Cant blame the other yet to be elected parties.There hss always been an opposition amd the ruling party with all salaries paid by the people. Given the archipelogoc multi island many govt functions as hospitals police stations etc have to be repeated. Another view is that if the private sector is not creating jobs possobly 20 ,000 plus jobs are by worker permits therefore the govt sector provides jobs to rase suffering but shojld not be on a permanent basis. On the size of the salaries it is up to the Board of Dorectors and Senior management usually appointed by the politicsl party in power, take for instance the Bank of the Bahamas.
Both parties are always in the same green coloured room except for some occasion in the pasr where one side walked out.
JohnDoe 7 years, 1 month ago
Never quite understood the business strategy behind the PowerSecure management contract, however, sad to say we are right back where we started with the original business model that has been failing for years. It does not help that the BPL Board, and most of the other Boards appointed by the FNM, are some of the weakest Boards in modern Bahamian business history. The BPL business issues are legion, but the central issues are its financial inflexibility due to its high debt levels, obsolete generation and transmission capability, capacity and infrastructure and management incompetence. In short without an injection of significant capital they are caught in a vicious cycle of trying to maintain their obsolete generation capacity to meet an ever increasing energy demand.
Sickened 7 years, 1 month ago
What BPL needs to do is get some modern and reliable generation. The Clifton plant needs to be condemned and the largest Bahamian Oil Reserve, found in the caves underneath it, needs to be sucked up and dealt with.
BahamasForBahamians 7 years, 1 month ago
Darnell Osbourne and Cecile Greene, or as you guys are known here, "My2Cents" there is nothing celebratory in hiring 7 locals at a rate that was agreed to pay 3 foreigners.
It is a slap in the face and an indictment on Bahamian capabilities.
How much is Darnell Making? How much is Cecile Greene, the CFO making??
My2cents 7 years, 1 month ago
@Bahamas for Bahamians. Lol, I'm neither. However, I read the article beyond the first sentence.
Clamshell 7 years, 1 month ago
Does any of this mean they’ll be able to keep the lights on?
Gotoutintime 7 years, 1 month ago
Only takes 7 Bahamians to replace three expats??? Man we are moving up in the world!!
Bahamianbychoice 7 years, 1 month ago
I don't think it is 7 Bahamians in place of 3 expats..as if it takes 7 locals to complete the same workload as 3 expats. Rather it sounds as if restructuring has taken place which include ceasing the need of the 3 expats and creating 7 positions that will be more target specific, therefore, more productive. At the same time saving money. There are capable Bahamians who are more than up for this task.
They just need to be given the chance to perform their job without interference from greedy agenda driven politicians.
Sounds like for the first time this company is making traction in the right direction! Well done Mrs. Osborne and fellow board members!! Keep it up!
sheeprunner12 7 years, 1 month ago
There is enough tidal power to get rid of BEC all over this country ........ when are we going to use some tidal turbines or solar panels to get rid of the fossil fuel dependency???????
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