The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

PLEASE permit me express my views on the captioned subject and forgive me if I appear to be pro-employee in this matter. The politicians can fend for themselves.

In the midst of a yet to be finalised joint venture between BPL and Bahamas Grid Company, the Minister of Energy and Transport JoBeth Coleby-Davis publicly revealed that 123 of BPL’s T&D staff will be seconded to Bahamas Grid Company for one year under the same terms and conditions under their union agreements.

If press reports are correct, executives of the Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union (BEUMU) are asking for more specifics and clarity.

Curiously, the Prime Minister is expressing disappointment with the union because, to quote “they been assured by me in meetings before that they need not be concerned about their workers as we intend to ensure that we...live up to our industrial agreement with workers.”

Who would not be concerned if their employment is being seconded/transferred from an established statutorily insulated company to an ad hoc Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with no known track record, no assets of its own, and whose principal on the majority ownership side is yet to be publicly identified by the government.

No disrespect to the office of The Prime Minister and the Energy Minister, but they ought to appreciate that the union cannot rest the security and wellbeing of its members on a verbal promises given by either of them.

The union and employees rightly ought to be cautious about relying on any assurance or promise (verbal or otherwise) given by any Minister, including the Prime Minister. No disrespect to either of these individuals, but if they were in opposition, they would be expressing similar sentiments.

This is especially the case for any commitment likely to fall due or to be delivered outside this administration term of office.

History has shown that incoming or succeeding administrations do not always honor or respect commitments or undertakings given by its predecessor in government.

I am certain Island Grid Solutions Ltd has taken note of this fact and has put the legal protections in place. The union and each employee will be well advised to do likewise.

It is wise to be legally protected for all eventualities especially, where there and private interest employers in pursuit of maximum profits on one side and on the other, an administration which sometimes appears to be torn between protecting the national interest versus its political interest.

Accordingly, the union ought to ensure, notwithstanding the limited security contained its industrial agreement, that each employee is given a written legally binding letter which sets out clearly his or her rights and entitlement going forward.

Every written undertaken or commitment made or given should seek to bind each party connected with this joint venture, jointly and severally liable, for any breach of an undertaking to employees (Bahamas Grid Company, Island Grid Solutions and The Government of The Bahamas).

Many of these industrial agreements are not sufficiently nimble legally to efficiently work through such a joint venture with an opaque commercial and management structure.

Interestingly, in the midst of all these verbal commitments and promises by the government, I have yet to hear a word from Bahamas Grid Company Ltd or its majority shareholder Island Grid Solutions.

Further, I am not aware of there being any discussions held between Bahamas Grid Company Ltd or Island Grid Solutions and the union in connection with this joint venture. If such is the case, this would concern me as a former management union president, who has been through a previous privatisation exercise.

It would be reasonable to expect that a company entering or investing in such a joint venture would have engaged its prospective employee representatives by now, provided they have not yet done so.

In closing and without any fear of being reasonably contradicted by any objective party, this joint venture, was undertaken under very ugly and opaque circumstances, and have only serve to illuminate the ugly and dark side of politics in The Bahamas. It is a classic case of seeking light in the dark.

CLAUDE B HANNA

Nassau,

September 23, 2024.