The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Power and Light chairman Donovan Moxey denied claims that some employees who took disengagement packages from the company remain employed with the same benefits and salary, however, he told The Tribune they were re-engaged on a contractual basis.

Concerns were raised by an irate source who said the government had to financially bail out BPL, yet the company is still employing its VSEP disengaged staff, alleging they are still enjoying the same salaries and benefits. However, Mr Moxey said to his knowledge people have been re-engaged as independent contractors — but not with benefits or the same salary.

“How can you need a bailout when you are forcing people to pay electricity bills during a pandemic and when you are paying out. . .salaries to people who you just paid millions of dollars to in separation packages?” the source asked. “It makes no sense.”

When contacted on these claims, Mr Moxey told The Tribune: “There were some employees after they took VSEP that the company engaged as independent contractors, not employees. When you are an independent contractor you get paid a negotiated contractor rate which does not include benefits. So the company did re-engage some of the VSEP employees because those employees had skill sets and expertise that the company recognised and needed from a transitional standpoint.”

Mr Moxey said allegations of “double dipping” are “not factual”.

“I am not aware of anybody who took the VSEP package getting full time employment,” he continued. “I can reach out internally to HR and see what the facts are and if it warrants putting out a statement then the company can certainly do that. But, for somebody to say that somebody was re-engaged as a full time employee who took the VSEP, then I am not aware of that. My understanding of the separation agreement does not allow for that. I am quite surprised someone would be saying that. That is not factual.”

Asked how many BPL employees were re-engaged after taking the packages, Mr Moxey said he has no idea and did not want to quote an incorrect number. He said the transfer of knowledge, or training of staff, is a part of the re-engagement agreement and is expected to be carried out.

The Tribune contacted Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president Kyle Wilson, who said he puts the figure of re-engaged employees at less than 10 percent of those who took the package. Although not an advocate of re-engaging employees, he said sometimes their expertise is needed. Furthermore, he is looking to the BPL CEO to eventually phase them out “as he said they would.”

“From a union aspect, I am not an advocate of bringing people back to work after they get packages,” the union president said. “I would love to see young people step up in these positions left vacant by those who took the packages. Now where there is a necessity for them to return, I am all for that and using our own instead of foreign labour. We can live with that on a temporary basis. They can come back to train and assist where there is a vital need.

“So I understand it to a certain degree but hopefully they will phase them out as I heard the CEO say. The CEO said they would try their best to phase these people out as the younger persons come up to speed.”

The union president said as far as he knows the re-engaged staff are not receiving the same benefits as the rest of the staff.