The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

jrussell@tribunmedia.net

IN excluding unions from talks about the future of Bahamas Power & Light, the Davis administration is violating a pre-election memorandum of understanding Prime Minister Philip Davis signed, according to Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president Kyle Wilson.

In August 2021, Mr Davis, as leader of the Progressive Liberal Party, signed an MOU with the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas (NCTUB) and the Commonwealth of The Bahamas Trade Union Congress (CBTUC).

The document said that “where possible in statute and in regulations,” formal consultations would occur with unions on matters of public policy before approval processes and concessions are given to foreign investors.

Mr Wilson argued yesterday that the Davis administration’s handling of BPL goes against this.

The government is entering a 25-year agreement with Pike Corporation through its Bahamian management company, Island Grid Solutions, to upgrade and manage BPL’s transmission and distribution network. The government will own 40 per cent of the shares in a special purpose vehicle, Bahamas Grid Company, and Island Grid Solutions will own 60 per cent.

Mr Wilson said he was present when Mr Davis signed the MOU with unions.

“I was excited because what he was saying they were going to do for labour, in contravention to the reigning administration that time, was exciting,” he said.

It is possible the MOU signing was just a PR stunt, he said, adding that staff is fearful that their jobs are in jeopardy despite the administration’s repeated assertions to the contrary.

“There’s a saying ‘mouth can say anything’, prove the doubters wrong and present the black and white facts,” he said.

He said he visited Mrs Coleby-Davis a few weeks ago with questions about how the BPL deal will affect staff. He said after waiting for an hour, he encountered the minister, but she refused to give him the requested details.

“She said no, emphatically no,” he said. “I felt insulted, I felt hurt, I felt broken. But I kept a smile on my face. I was angry. I feel that was not the way the minister should have spoken to me as a union president.”

Obie Ferguson, president of the Trade Union Congress, said he is also frustrated by the government’s level of adherence to the MOU. He questioned the significance of signing it, especially as some unions criticised his organisation for doing so.

The Ministry of Energy and Transport said that Island Grid representatives are in the country, fulfilling their commitment to help BPL with necessary distribution work.

The ministry said it has met with BPL’s two unions to inform them of upcoming changes. BPL’s plans “include an ironclad commitment to protect the job security of BPL union workers,” the ministry said, adding that the industrial agreements will be honoured.