Former Cabinet minister Leslie Miller.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune News Editor
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
LESLIE Miller has several words for Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis amid union pushback to potential Bahamas Power and Light reform: “Hold Ya Head.”
“Stand ya ground,” he added yesterday. “We don’t call you ‘Brave’ for nothing. Please don’t cave in because we’ve been doing that for the last 50 years. Let somebody show some guts.”
The former chairman of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation accused BPL’s unions yesterday of threatening to hold the country hostage to protect their interests at the expense of lower electricity costs –– part of what he said has been the unions’ playbook for decades.
His comments come amid uncertainty about the Davis administration’s plans. Mr Davis has said he wants “strategic partners” with the funding needed to fix BPL.
The administration has been tightlipped amid claims that it intends to separate the generation side of BPL from the transmission and distribution side of the utility company.
BPL unions have come out against what they have learned so far.
In a letter to Mr Davis over the weekend, Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union (BEUMU) president Christopher Hanna said his union “strongly opposes the projects that you and your team outlined” on Saturday.
“While we applaud the end result of lowering the energy costs for all Bahamians, the ends certainly do not justify the means,” he said.
“The tactics that you intend to employ operate outside of our established industrial agreement and remove the protections for the workers, or in other words, it is blatant union busting.”
Similarly, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEMU) president Kyle Wilson wrote to the prime minister, saying the proposed deal “strips Bahamians of ownership opportunities and undermines job stability for Bahamians”.
Mr Miller frequently clashed with BEC’s unions when he was chairman of the corporation.
“The Bahamian people don’t get any benefit from BEC,” he said yesterday. The employees get the benefits — putting a gun to our heads; if you don’t give us what we want, we gon’ turn your lights off, which they did over the past 50 years.”
“They got away with it because every government caved into them after three days.
“I was there for ten years and went through that.”
“Someone always calls; either the prime minister; give them what they want.”
“Remember, you’re dealing with less than 1000 people.”
“Who should you look out for? The few or the many? Who elected you? The BEC personnel or the Bahamian people?”
Mr Miller said the salaries of BPL workers “are the best” in the public sector.
“What’s so special about them?” he asked. “Do you realise that a school teacher working for 43 years with a Master’s degree doesn’t take home $2,500? But on the counterpart, someone who work to BEC for 30 years, they take home almost $4,000 a month. How the hell you figure that?”
On Sunday, Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard criticised the Davis administration for not revealing more about its plans, which have likely been in the works for months.
Mr Miller conceded that the administration’s approach “shouldn’t be as private as it is”.
“The unions,” he said, “have a right to say this been going on since June and you just telling me? What gon’ happen to all the goodies I been making? What gon’ happen when my overtime stop?”
Comments
John 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Just don’t let BPL go the way of BTC. The communications company was a cash cow for the government. Then the government, without proper research ind sufficient information sold BTC. Okay gave it away. With the promise of getting better service at lower costs. Was this experience realized. Hell no! Tha average Bahamian cannot afford to keep minutes on their phone even for the instance of an emergency or important conversation and some landline repairs are taking in excess of six months to complete. BTC has intentionally or otherwise altered its internet services in some areas that it consumes the consumers data when they should be on Wi-fi. In other words if you have internet at home and switch from your data to Wi-Fi, the service is so intermittent or signal so weak or service so slow, you switch back to data or your device does do automatically so your data is consumed instead of internet. And can you point to one infractutal development that has been made since BTC was sold? None! In fact BTC has been shredding assets since it was sold including buildings utility poles cables and cell towers. In the situation of BPL why the desire to split the company up? First they jinx the government to do that, then hoodwink them into selling of the most profitable part . Then the government sinks into deeper debt trying to maintain two unprofitable sectors ehilst the shysters have run off with the golden goose. Think about this: utility companies team up with companies supplying power in surrounding areas to provide power because it caused them to realize more economies of scale. So if this government dismantles any part of BPL and sells off any part ( ok gives it awsy) Bahamians be prepared for a rough ride. Most likely darkness or electricity the average Bahamian cannot afford
realfreethinker 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Please stop talking garbage. BTC was a monopoly and was losing money. What cash cow you talking about?
pt_90 1 month, 3 weeks ago
We can say alot of things about BaTelCo/BTC. They were a monopoly and befitted from it but it wasnt a loss maker. They made losses in the 90s but after their 90s downsizing and cellphone boom coupled with thier monopoly status they were profitable for over a decade up to being sold.
the below are net profits
This isnt an argument for or against the sale or how they managed to make the profits but least lets talk facts. They weren't a loss maker. at least not since 2000 to their sale in 2011.
sheeprunner12 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Potcake singing for more sweetheart deals. He is nobody's friend ...... Opportunist
CaptainCoon 1 month, 3 weeks ago
The primates are back at it again!
Miller knows that more darling contracts are headed his way and money will flow like the waters under the glass window bridge.
Nation of conchs! SAD!
M0J0 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Potcake talking sense. Only reason the union pushing back is the gravey train will come to a screeching hault.
sheeprunner12 1 month, 3 weeks ago
That is true ............. but WHO will get the kickbacks and other "under the table" deals from these three so-called stakeholders from the breakup of the current BPL entity?????
The Unions have a lot of selfish reasons for not wanting this BPL deal to take place, but the secret nature by which the New Day government is going about this system leaves ALL Bahamians to question Jobeth & Gravy Davis dem.
TalRussell 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Comrade Leslie [Potcake] Miller, got a good nose for sniffing out all things --- Bahamas Electricity Corporation [BEC]. --- Yes?
pt_90 1 month, 3 weeks ago
The big problem is that everything's being kept secret. While it's okay to keep things quiet while companies are talking, it's not okay that we only found how we did. This is a really big deal and the government should have told us about it. They talked about lots of other stuff like they could have used the budget, the speech from the throne. They ttalked solar, fees but nothing about this huge change.
Why not just say what's happening and why it's good? And give updates on who's interested and what they're thinking? Because now, nobody trusts what's going on. Even if they had to keep it quiet, people like Jobeth or the Prime Minister could have let us know instead of sip sip.
ThisIsOurs 1 month, 3 weeks ago
"at the expense of lower electricity costs"
Nobody especially Jobeth Coleby Davis has explained yet how this will bring lower electricity costs. I believe the opposite will be the case at least for a few years, why? Because they told us so when they brought Power Secure the first time. The same manager, Alstrom(?) whom theyve said was key to crafting the PowerSecure businessplan is back, and by their explanation, was key to the proposal requesting a rate increase out the gate. Nothing change. Now, a rate increase might be needed to turn BEC around. I am saying stop the obsfuscations. Stop selling us dreams of lower costs to sell us election lies if you are fully aware the first thing you plan to do is increase prices. Because we all know what increased electricity rates will bring. Hellfire. Prices will increase everywhere on top of prices that are currently ridiculous, based on nothing except govts riddled with kickback corruption, inability to think and obsession to stifle all innovation they dont personally profit from. They cause this situation with their greed. So dumb, now they paying high gas, food and business license fees and living in the same land of their creation where their 15yr old grandchildren could get murdered at any minute from people (incorrectly) trying to survive
sheeprunner12 1 month, 3 weeks ago
PREACH
ExposedU2C 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Amen. You're exactly right. Bahamians will be left with BEC/BPL's liabilities totalling mega millions of dollars, much of which has been guaranteed by our successive corrupt governments, while the new foreign owners and their favoured Bahamian cronies will reap all of the future profits from a slimmed-down lean and mean BPL that will nevertheless charge exorbitant electricity rates to feed the greed of the new corrupt owners.
And like when Batelco (now BTC) was privatized, our corrupt government will heave on to the backs of Bahamian taxpayers overly generous severance packages for non-productive BPL union employees (including unionized management tier personnel) who should long ago have been summarily dismissed, i.e., fired!
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