President of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU), Kyle Wilson held a press conference on Wednesday where he voiced concerns about how the government’s deal with the Pike Corporation will impact staff at Bahamas Power and Light (BPL).
Wilson told reporters he wrote to the Minister of Transport and Energy, the Hon. Jobeth Coleby-Davis about the union’s concerns and has gotten no response. “People have genuine fears concerning the lack of information and transparency in this deal especially with the mention of transferring or the secondment of labour to a third party entity which we believe is a roundabout way to separate employees from BPL to the Pike Company without compensation,” he said.
Wilson added, “workers wish to know how their benefits will be affected especially their medical and pensions. Currently the union has no representative or information concerning the pensions or the boards that govern the pensions. And we must have immediate representation on those boards as it is our monies especially with the contributory pensions. This is not up for debate. For years the union has fought this pension issue and we refuse to go another day.”
Shortly before the last general elections the Trade Union Congress and the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the then opposition Progressive Liberal Party. Wilson said that the document is a good one but it’s not being followed or respected by the people downstream. “It’s just like with our industrial agreements, we have issues everyday. We sign the industrial agreement but everyday we gotta be fighting the company to adhere to the industrial agreement.”
Also on hand at the press event was President of the Trade Union Congress who pledged his support to the BEWU. He said, “we have some really strategic players in this country. We don’t want to disrupt nothing. All we want you to do is be sensible, sit down with the union leaders and resolve the matter.”
The government announced its 25 year deal with the Pike Corporation through it subsidiary Island Grid in June.
The post BEWU Unrest Brewing appeared first on ZNS BAHAMAS.
