The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

AFTER months of demonstrations and speaking out against alleged injustices, the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union has finally ratified an industrial agreement proposal from Bahamas Power and Light and is ready to sign off on it.

In a late meeting on Tuesday, BEWU president Kyle Wilson and his team presented the latest proposal from BPL to members of the union who agreed to it. The industrial agreement between the two parties had expired some four years ago and negotiations for a new agreement were soured by industrial action following what the union called disrespectful and insulting proposals.

“The members have ratified the proposal that was sent by BPL giving way for the executives of the union to sign it,” Mr Wilson said.

“The executives of the union have a proposal that is favourable to membership. The company sent a proposal to the executives, we looked at it, were satisfied and took it to our people.

 “The majority of our members were satisfied and we ratified the proposal. So now we are going to take that proposal back to the company for signing of the official industrial agreement. It then becomes the law of the company.

 “We are grateful to Cora Colebrook, the (Permanent Secretary). We are grateful to Desmond Bannister, the minister. We are grateful to the Prime Minister because they had to step in and see to it that Bahamians can have a brighter day and more bread on their table.”

 With the next general election two weeks away, Mr Wilson was asked if he was hopeful that the new agreement would be signed off on by then. He said he is.

 “I will see if we can have an agreement signed off on by next week,” he said. “It would be a good sign for the current administration as they would have shown Bahamians that they have our backs. I am trying to get this agreement signed off as soon as possible.

 “Right now this is crunch time. We are in the middle of election season. We already have an agreement in principle. We did not do an agreement with FNM, PLP or DNA. We do agreements with the company no matter who is in charge of the government. So whoever wins the next government, whether it’s the FNM, PLP or DNA, we expect them to honour the agreement.”

 Works  Minister Desmond Bannister, who is responsible for BPL, had to step in to bring calm to the negotiations between BPL’s executive management and union executives as a stalemate had occurred on several occasions. Mr. Bannister also involved Rev Ranford Patterson to help mediate.

 Asked about the tumultuous relationship between the union and executive management now that a document is agreed upon, the union president doubted the relationship would be any better after the signing. He also addressed the high points of the now ratified industrial proposal.

 “The contract signing doesn’t mean that things will be that much better, it just means that there will be just a little more bread on the table for our already struggling members,” Mr Wilson said. “All of this doesn’t kick in until 2023. They are still mean spirited and disrespectful to the staff. Their pockets are still fat and they don’t care if we have bread on the table.

 “One of the most satisfying things in this proposal is the pay increases in 2023 and 2024 and the fact that the linesmen and craftsmen that had to take on so much additional responsibilities as a result of the pandemic and Hurricane Dorian.

 “I am happy for all those members in Abaco who had to fight so hard to see the company brought back up after that hurricane. They all now get to move up to a new pay scale. I feel happy for them as they have been doing all that work without any recognition or compensation. I am now thankful to God that they can now get recognised for all the hard work they have been putting into this company.”

 Before the union ratified BPL’s latest proposal, The Tribune spoke to BPL chairman, Dr Donavon Moxey who was optimistic that the union would find the proposal fair.

 “What we put forth to the union … the proposal is something that the executive management and the board have signed off on,” Dr Moxey said in a recent interview. “We are now waiting for the union to come back and ratify that as the offer.

 “We think that what’s been offered is fair. We think that what’s been offered is something that we hope the union members would ratify.”

 In protest of the unfinished negotiations and citing disrespectful treatment by executive management, the BEWU’s members walked off the job on June 28 and again on August 19.