The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS 

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

LABOUR Minister Dion Foulkes has called for cooler heads to prevail in the Water and Sewerage dispute, telling reporters yesterday that he is “cautiously optimistic” that both sides could negotiate a resolution in the coming weeks.

Tensions between WSC executive chairman Adrian Gibson and Bahamas Utilities Services and Allied Workers Union (BUSAWU) president Dwayne Woods have exploded this week as an industrial dispute escalated into allegations of sabotage and threats of lawsuits.

Calling for peace from the steps of the Senate yesterday, Mr Foulkes said his ministry has invited both sides to a meeting scheduled for Monday at 11am, when he said he hopes both sides can “sit down in a dispassionate way” and make progress towards a resolution.

“We are trying to get the temperature lowered,” he said. “The Minister of Works Mr Desmond Bannister is also involved and I think once we get at the table, we will be able to get the issues resolved. But as I said, I am optimistic, but cautiously optimistic.”

On Tuesday, members of both BUSAWU and the Water & Sewerage Management Union’s (WSMU) president demonstrated outside WSC’s University Drive headquarters in what was termed a “withdrawal of enthusiasm”.

The two groups openly decried what they suggested was the unfair suspension of an employee for five days without pay.

The action was followed later that evening by an extensive shutdown of water supply across the capital.

Mr Gibson pinned blame for the shutdown on the union, suggesting the act was deliberate and in-line with actions to “sabotage” the efforts of WSC. However, Mr Woods has said his union does not condone sabotage and would assist with any investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, Mr Gibson told the House of Assembly that any employee found to have tampered with the water supply will be “summarily dismissed and referred to the police”.

He also has threatened Mr Woods with a defamation lawsuit.

Yesterday, Mr Woods said he did not fear such a threat.

“I invite them to go ahead,” he told this newspaper. “They have something to sue me for?”

Addressing the dispute yesterday, Mr Foulkes said his ministry had no intentions of getting into the fray, asserting that matters had expanded to a point in which personalities had superseded the issues on the table.

“I do not want to get involved with the personal aspects of some of the things that have come forward publicly,” he said.

“As minister of labour, my primary objective is to maintain industrial peace, and that is what we are attempting to do,” Mr Foulkes added.

“We are at the point now where we’ve seen some movement on some of the issues that concern the union. Everybody has agreed to go back to work, so everything should be normal down at the operation this morning,” he said.

Mr Foulkes added: “We have a meeting scheduled for this Monday at 11 o’clock at the Department of Labour. All of the relevant parties should be at that meeting and we are hopeful, we are cautiously hopeful that we can get all of the issues resolved.

“As you know, the whole issue of the supply of water to the population of the Bahamas, especially here in New Providence, is essential to the government. The government wishes to do everything to ensure the continuation of that flow.

“I would encourage, as I did earlier in the week, both the management of the board and the union to sit down to attempt to resolve the issue.

At the end of the day, that benefits them and the country,” Mr Foulkes said.

For his part, Mr Woods is open to coming to a resolution on Monday, but if one does not occur he said the union will request a strike certificate.