The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

KYLE Wilson, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union head, said government has agreed to give staff of Bahamas Power and Light a Christmas bonus despite a discrepancy in the registration of the parties’ industrial agreement.

Just before the country’s September general election, BPL executives, along with executives of BEWU, signed an industrial agreement after four years of failed negotiations and a tumultuous relationship that led to many staff walk outs.

That agreement had provisions for Christmas bonuses, however due to a discrepancy with the registration of that document, BPL’s executive management was hesitant to issue staff bonuses. According to Mr Wilson, executive management deemed the agreement “illegal”.

Mr Wilson credited Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis for saving the day.

“Brave saves the day for BPL workers,” Mr Wilson said. “The members are already frustrated and feeling down by the fact that there is a ‘new day’ in the country, but not a ‘new day’ in BPL because they are stuck with the same executives who they feel do not show empathy to workers. They are very cold-hearted.

“Due to the talks about the contract, their Christmas bonus was in limbo. The company was saying the contract has to be renegotiated and new clauses added. There was some contention over that and the members saw where they weren’t getting a bonus this Christmas.

“At the end of the day, the union would have met and spoken to the Prime Minister, Minister of Works and the chairman and they all stepped in on behalf of the union and saved the day for BPL workers. I appreciate them because had it not been for them, there would be no ‘Merry Christmas’ for the BPL workers.”

Mr Wilson commended the government for honouring the industrial agreement despite the discrepancies with this registration.

“The bonus would have now been paid to the staff, despite the challenges through the contract,” he said. “The government still went ahead and honoured the agreement with the union.

“I appreciate that. Even though it wasn’t this administration that negotiated it, they still respectfully honoured it. A lot of persons were looking forward to that. It will boost the economy when they get out there and spend some money locally.

“I was shocked to learn that there would have been persons here who would try to fight against it, because that is something that they negotiated. So provisions should have been there for that payment. We should never have to get a minister or Prime Minister or a chairman involved in a situation that has already been agreed upon.”

Minister of Works and Utilities Alfred Sears confirmed to The Tribune yesterday that he met with the union and that the bonuses were paid.

The Tribune also contacted Quincy Parker, BPL’s public relations director, and CEO Whitney Heastie for comment, but up to press time, neither of them responded.

Mr Wilson explained some of the challenges ongoing with the new agreement with BPL.

“The contract was already signed by the director of that time, Quinten LaRoda on the eighth of September,” he said. “On the 16th of September, the Progressive Liberal Party became the new government.

“About a week or two later Mr LaRoda, before he could have issued the certificate of registration, was replaced with Mr Robert Farquharson. Mr Farquharson is now saying the actions of Mr LaRoda, coupled with one or two clauses he wanted to have added into the contract, makes it illegal because there were no provisions for male paternity leave.

“What we are saying is that in the contract there is a provision for married men to have paternity leave, but if it is law of the government that non-married males have paternity leave, then it doesn’t have to be in the contract because it is already the law.”