The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The dispute between the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) and Bahamas Power and Light will be settled within the next few days, Tribune Business has been told.

Obie Ferguson, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) president, told Tribune Business that the dispute should not have gotten this far, but the BEWU has a point on safety concerns and that it is up to BPL to ensure a safe working environment and the safety of their employers as reasonably practicable. “We would not want an accident at BPL. They deal with a lot of dangerous equipment, and so they risk their lives on a daily basis.”

Mr Ferguson added: “They (BEWU) are in discussions with BPL and I’m optimistic that as long as they are in those discussions with faith, there will be progress.

“What will also happen in short order, once the matter has been resolved, Kyle (Wilson, president of the BEWU) will make a proper statement after he would have apprised his membership. But he has to meet with his members and report to them on the items that they have been negotiating on.”

The BEWU held meetings with its membership last week and have agreed on a strike action against BPL over matters related to poor working conditions at several of the BPL sites and offices and the lack of health and safety provisions for workers in conjunction with that.

The lawyer for the BEWU added: “Unfortunately in The Bahamas, employers like for there to be strife and I can’t understand the logic in that. We can always sit down and negotiate in good faith and make some concessions along the way and come up with something that is reasonable that is in the interest of the workers and the country at large.”

“We don’t have to fight on every single thing. I’m encouraging for them to find a formula that would be mutually beneficial to the workers. BPL workers are seriously hard workers. The least little mistake they make that can mean death, so therefore we can’t prevent everything but certainly we should do all that we can in our powers to minimize those catastrophic situations.

Mr Ferguson is in favour of a “settlement” and he further assured that the BEWU is in favour of a settlement or that kind of arrangement. “Within a short period you would see something happening,” he said.

The last Industrial Agreement signed with the BEWU was in 2021 where several longstanding matters were supposed to have been resolved. However, the condition of BPL’s working areas has not been resolved.

The Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union (BEUMU) has also joined in with the BEWU on the possibility of commencing a strike action and further accused BPL’s management of negotiating in bad faith on their agreement that expired in 2018. “I think the solution for both of then unions have to be collective, they have to come together. We want to make sure to keep the working environment conducive,” Mr Ferguson said.

Mr Ferguson added: “The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires that the workplace must be safe and we want to be transparent in what we do so everyone can understand.”

Outside of health and safety concerns, there is a matter about BPL not allowing for hazardous pay, where Mr Ferguson said that: “this is something that is fundamental or a very important ingredient in almost every IA.”