The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE union representing electrical workers has given Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) a 30-day ultimatum to address their concerns related to hazardous pay, pension and medical benefits, among other issues.

Kyle Wilson, the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union's president, said the “time for talk” is over as he called on union members to get ready for action.

“Some of the major issues,” he said, “are, number one – a dishonest and illegal contributory pension scheme that is not and has never been part of any registered industrial agreement.”

Mr Wilson alleged that BPL's staff pension scheme has been operating without a governing board and deducting contributions prior to the required date.

The union is also calling for salary increases, better medical benefits, hazardous pay for its technical workers and more resources for Family Island workers.

“I hereby give BPL’s leadership 30 days to fix the issues. Otherwise, let the chips fall where they may,” Mr Wilson added.

“The MOU that was signed on the 25th of August 2021 is now of no effect and, to this day, the union has yet to hear the plans for the future of BPL if one exists.

“What does exist does little to industrial relations and a poor attitude towards industrial harmony. The BPL leadership does not respect unions and this attitude under the leadership of Chairman Pedro Rolle is only serving to drive a massive wedge between all parties.”

Mr Wilson spoke about the union's frustrations with BPL during a press conference organised by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Friday, where several union leaders voiced similar grievances.

Christopher Hanna, president of the Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union (BEUTM) added: “We face the same challenges that he's facing. We have the same problems with the company.”

He said the union has been without an industrial agreement since the last one expired in 2018.

He also accused BPL management of failing to pay workers’ overtime.

“So as of today, we had enough,” Mr Hanna said, “and unless our situation is dealt with in a timely manner, we will ramp up whatever we decide to do.”

Union leaders representing healthcare workers cited similar concerns, saying they too have had enough.

Head of the Consultant Physicians Staff Association (CPSA), Dr Sabriquet Pinder-Butler, noted the union’s expired industrial agreement and said: “In good faith, we took an oath, and we are here to serve but it is hard when you are not being respected in this country and you are not getting the things that you're promised in good faith by the people that we serve.

“And so, we're here again asking and pleading, because we don't want what happened with our last industrial agreement where unfortunately, we had to strike.”

For her part, Bahamas Nurses Union (BNU) president Muriel Lightbourn highlighted safety concerns in the workplace.

She claimed there was an incident in Eleuthera last month where staff were held hostage by a suspect involved in a stabbing incident on the island.

“I have reached out to the minister,” she said. “I have spoken to him. There are some other things that they have done in terms of trying to secure the clinic with the doorknobs but that's minor issue for me.”

She said the real problem is the location where the staff are working, which is a house and not a proper clinic.

“We are actually talking about a house, a three-bedroom, two bath house that the clinic is presently utilising – a problem again with that is that (the) house was only to house our nurses at the clinic for three days. It's been four years now,” Ms Lightbourn added.

“It was three days for the clinic to be renovated. It’s four years now.”

Nadia Vanderpool, President of the Union of Public Officers, which represents line staff at the National Insurance Board, also voiced displeasure about the state of labour relations in the country, saying: "We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters."