The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS 

Tribune Business Reporter 

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

A UNION leader yesterday asserted that Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) staff are “p***** off and ready for action” amid uncertainty over how they fit into the Government’s energy reform plans.

Kyle Wilson, the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union’s (BEWU) president, said employees are “frustrated, angry” over a perceived lack of “transparency” regarding the Davis administration’s plans for BPL’s existing workforce and whether all the benefits and rights contained in their existing industrial agreements will be honoured.

He accused the Davis administration of intentionally keeping BPL staff and the public “in the dark” on the terms of the agreements struck to outsource New Providence’s baseload energy generation and control of the island’s energy grid to the private sector.

“There appears to an intentional effort to keep the Bahamas Electricity Workers Union and Bahamian people in the dark as this BPL deal progresses,” Mr Wilson asserted. “No one in authority is directly addressing the labour issues concerning this deal that will have a major impact on BPL and its operations.

“A deal that will split the operations of the company, and place transmission and distribution assets along with unabated management rights into a third-party hand. This deal appears top secret and classified, and little to no information of the details is known to the union.”

Mr Wilson said he has written to the minister of energy and transport, JoBeth Coleby-Davis, requesting answers to concerns raised by staff but has received no response. And he accused BPL management of showing a “great level of disrespect” to workers by excluding the union and refusing to inform staff exactly how the reforms could impact their careers.

He said: “When the minister responsible for energy was asked if she could elaborate on the future of the workers at BPL, as it relates to the deals with Bahamas Grid Company and Island Grid, she empathically said no. How is that fair to the workers and the Bahamian people with regards to public assets? Especially by an administration that claims to be union-friendly or for unions.

“The authorities with oversight of BPL and their partners are showing a great level of disrespect in how they are dealing with this matter concerning the workers and their future. The deal appears rushed and the union seems to be intentionally shut out despite their direct articulation to share with stakeholders how they intend to direct the labour force in a recent document concerning investment into this deal.”

New Providence’s electricity grid is being transferred to the control of Bahamas Grid Company, an entity that will be 60 percent majority-owned by private investors. Island Grid, the entity that will manage Bahamas Grid Company, is headed by Eric Pike, whose Pike Electrical will be supplying the manpower, equipment and resources to overhaul the grid. Pike trucks and staff are already arriving in The Bahamas.

Bahamas Grid Company is presently raising $100m via the private placement of a bond issue, with the proceeds set to finance some $120m in “foundational” upgrades to the New Providence grid by the 2025 third quarter. The bond offering document details the implications for BPL staff, with expatriate workers set to take the lead on the upgrades until Bahamians can be up-skilled.

“BPL will continue to maintain customer relationships and billing, as well as its owned power generation assets,” the bond offer states. “Bahamas Grid Company’s plan is to hire new Bahamian staff and upskill BPL staff as the core workforce to maintain the upgraded grid.

“Because this cannot happen overnight due to the additional training that will be required, Bahamas Grid Company’s workforce plan is to stage employee growth as follows. Bahamas Grid will post for local job opportunities outlined with the skills needed and what Bahamas Grid training will be available to bridge the gap between current training and skills needed.

“Bahamas Grid will hire the New Providence transmission and distribution employees at BPL for a period of one year, after which they will have the opportunity to remain with Bahamas Grid or return to BPL. As a benefit to BPL to lower its operating cost model, Bahamas Grid Company can release these job listings first to all BPL employees,” it added.

“The goal in this phase is to hire a core group of local employees that will be trained first. Bahamas Grid Company will bring in US-based contractors with storm hardened grid experience to work efficiently on energised lines and get the foundational upgrades implemented.

“During this period, the locally hired workforce will shadow and learn from the contractors, in addition to participating in cooperative programmes to learn energised work skills in the US. Once the foundational upgrades are complete and the steady-state maintenance workload is clearer, Bahamas Grid Company will continue to hire and train local staff while bringing in offshore contractors on an as-needed basis for specific projects.”