The Tribune

BY DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT – The Bahamas Industrial Engineers, Managers, and Supervisors Union wants an independent investigation into the death of a worker at the Grand Bahama Power Company.

Pedro Edwards, BIEMSU president, said employee Arnold Adderley died last June when he was electrocuted on the job.

Although the company has conducted its own investigations, he said the union is just not satisfied.

“That matter is very important because Bahamians still have to work in that environment,” said Mr Edwards on Monday, resuming their ongoing demonstration campaign against the Power Company.

“The company has done their own investigations and have come up with their own conclusions, but we think there are things that need to said and known about what went on there,” he said.

“We are hoping that the government will get the ILO (International Labour Organisation) to come and do an investigation and deal with that matter. It is important to the employees and to their families.”

Mr Edwards said the union is also concerned about the termination of several Bahamian engineers, salary cuts, and workers’ vacation backlog.

The union president vowed to demonstrate until these matters are resolved.

“We took a break during the Easter… but we are back again and want to keep the issues in the forefront,” he said.

Mr Edwards claims that workers from Canada have been hired at the Power Company to replace the Bahamian engineers who were terminated.

“We have Bahamians out of work who are breadwinners. It don’t make sense in 2013 that we have Bahamians sitting at home after being fired from a company like the GBPC, and foreigners doing their jobs,” he said.

“The PLP government has campaigned on the platform of Bahamians first… and should ensure that such matters are dealt with quickly.”

Mr Edwards said the union has filed some six disputes with the Ministry of Labour regarding salary cuts for several workers.

The disputes claim some employees who voted in the recent government referendum got a cut in salary even though the law allows them two hours to vote.

Mr Edwards said the company is no longer allowing employees to have their vacation time rolled over.

“The company is now taking people’s vacation. Every employee is allowed two weeks vacation per year and sometimes workers are unable to take their vacation so it is rolled over, but the company is trying to take it. They are saying if they don’t take their vacation, they will lose it,” he said.

Mr Edwards said the union has contacted Minister of Labour Shane Gibson.

“His office is in talks with the GBPC to try to resolve the matters. They say progress is being made, but we have not seen that come fruition. I have not gotten anything from them (the government) that has moved the process any further,” he said.