The Tribune

BY FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

THE BAHAMAS Electrical Workers Union’s (BEWU) president last night accused Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) of trying to pressure workers into joining Bahamas Grid Company (BGC) as it filed a formal trade dispute over an overtime policy it alleges was introduced without its consent.

Kyle Wilson said the alleged effort to move workers to BGC was linked to the transmission and distribution operator’s need for experienced technical staff, particularly as BPL workers continue to assist with outages and other grid-related work. Some 120 BPL transmission and distribution staff had previously declined to transfer to Bahamas Grid Company for fear they would lose their industrial agreement benefits, plus years of seniority and pension benefits.

“I've been told, allegedly, it is an attempt to try and force BPL workers into BGC because BGC does not have the technical expertise needed to run this grid,” Mr Wilson said.

The union's concerns come as BPL continues to rely on its existing workforce to assist with restoration work amid ongoing reliability problems, with Mr Wilson arguing that BPL employees have the technical training and experience needed by BGC to assist in carrying out specialised work such as underground services. 

“Come to find out, our guys are far greater, far trained and far superior. But now they have to call on our guys, especially for underground services, and rely heavily on the assistance of BPL,” he added.

Mr Wilson alleged that the dispute over overtime was being used as part of a broader effort to put pressure on workers and weaken their existing protections.

The union yesterday informed its members that it had filed a trade dispute with the Department of Labour over an overtime policy it said management had presented as having the union's agreement.

The union said the policy concerned Clause 30 of its industrial agreement, and alleged that management was seeking to change the provision with the belief that the union had “signed off” or agreed to the change. As a result, the BEWU has instructed members to work to rule - working only their normal or standard hours of work until further notice - a move that could result in potential worker shortages to address night-time network outages.

Mr Wilson said the union was particularly concerned about what he described as an attempt to undermine the protections provided by its industrial agreement. “They're trying to attack the industrial agreement to dumb it down, to scare persons, and try to force them probably over to Bahamas Grid,” he said.

Mr Wilson said BPL employees have little incentive to leave their current positions for BGC because of the protections they currently receive through the union and collective bargaining.

“They are unionised workers. They're used to their union, they're used to their benefits, they're used to collective bargaining, they're used to job protection. BGC offers none of that,” he said.

“And so you're asking them to leave the comforts of their job at BPL. You're not going to get your tenure of service. You're not going to receive anything other than what they offer you.”

Mr Wilson said workers moving to BGC would also lose the protections of the existing industrial agreement governing increments, promotions, salaries and other employment matters.

“You don't have an industrial agreement to tell you how you're going to get increments and jobs and promotions and salaries, and they send you into the darkness of uncertainty without the certainty of having a union that will protect you,” Mr Wilson said.

“And if it's so good, why don't they want unions? Why don't they want collective bargaining? Why don't they want to just have the people at the whim that they can handle them anyhow or any which way they desire?”

Mr Wilson said BPL workers therefore had little interest in transferring to BGC. “No one's gonna leave the comfort for that,” he said. “Come on, and that's plain and simple. The benefits at BPL are far greater, and it offers far more protection.”

He added that workers ultimately had a choice over whether to remain with BPL or accept employment with BGC. “They have their choice to make. They can leave their jobs and go to Bahamas Grid, or they can stay with BPL. It's simply their choice and theirs to make,” said Mr Wilson.

“They do not want to leave BPL for Bahamas Grid, and that's their choice. And I respect that.” Mr Wilson also accused BGC of being resistant to unionisation, claiming that workers there would not have the same collective bargaining protections as BPL employees.

“They definitely won't meet with the unions because they said they don't want unions. And these people don't want unions in BGC because they want to be able to take full advantage of persons and their ignorance to labour laws, and that's what I think,” he said. “I mean, come on, unions built this country.”

Mr Wilson also criticised what he described as the Government's failure to address BPL's wider problems. He pointed to the continuing difficulties faced by consumers, including the need for some households to manage their electricity use around outages.

“As workers, as Bahamian people, as business owners, taxpayers, people who pay the light bill, we have to sell light, because even light right now is on shifts,” he said.

“It's on shifts. You have to take different shifts cutting on the light. You got to go on the beach. You got to unplug your air conditioning and plug your appliances, and that's what we call leadership.”

Mr Wilson also questioned what he described as BPL's focus on employee overtime while BGC continues to receive payments for its work.

“Instead of focusing on the $8m that they're not getting value for that they're giving BGC, they're focusing on overtime and the hard work of BPL workers who even have to assist BGC on overtime that BPL has to pay for,” said Mr Wilson.

Christina Alston, BPL’s executive chair, declined to comment on the dispute when contacted by Tribune Business.