The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Electrical Workers Union President Stephano Greene said yesterday receiving payments from an employer and National Insurance is not “anything new” and is done in most government agencies and some private corporations.

His comments came after BEC Executive Chairman Leslie Miller accused the union of “double dipping” on National Insurance benefits.

Earlier this week, Mr Miller issued a cooperation wide memo telling staff they will no longer be allowed to collect NIB monies for certain benefits, such as sick benefit, while still being paid by BEC.

He said beginning November 1, BEC employees will no longer be allowed to ‘double dip’ by collecting both NIB and their full salary.

However Mr Greene said BEC is not the only organisation that “negotiated this benefit.”

“It is not just us that does this, it is not just BEC. We have it, Water and Sewerage has it, Batelco as well, in fact most government agencies do this. We made this agreement during negotiations. We negotiated these sick benefits, when you are off sick, BEC deducts the days from the sick days we negotiated and they pay us full pay,” he said.

“Once these sick hours expire then you go on partial pay. But while you are out sick you can request BEC and your doctor to give you the necessary forms to collect National Insurance. What Mr Miller doesn’t realise is, it is not double dipping, employees pay NIB payments too so what we claim is our portion not the portion that BEC pays.”

Mr Greene said the union is prepared to withdraw their labour if the issues do not get resolved.

He said: “Mr Miller’s actions are illegal and that could be dealt with in many ways. The best way is to see someone get cuffs put on them and go to jail but we will seek the legal approach and outside of that we will withdraw our labour  if it is necessary, if it comes to that.

“Mr Miller is trying to spin the story to make him look like a champion or a hero. I do not know how he runs his personal business and maybe they need to get unionised so it runs differently, but you can not bully people, you have to negotiate.

“He has yet to have an intelligent conversation with us. Maybe he needs to buy a summer house and lay off and relax because what he is doing is not in the best interests of the Bahamian people.”