By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Staff Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
BEWU president Stephano Greene yesterday commended the government for overriding the decision to block BEC employees from collecting both National Insurance and a full salary while on sick leave.
Mr Greene said he was pleased with the government’s intervention on behalf of BEC workers, and the clarification that the practice was not an “illegal benefit”.
He said he was confident that affected employees will be reimbursed if salaries are still adjusted without resolution today.
“The union is extremely pleased with the involvement of the Prime
Minister and the Minister of Labour,” Mr Greene said. “This is testimony that the government is working and in most cases will see what is right, this is one of those cases. The benefit that what some 20,000 public servants receive is not an ilegal benefit.”
He said: “Workers are entitled to this benefit and have the conditions in their employment. We’re happy that the Minister of Labour, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister would have looked at this matter and addressed it.”
A bitter war of words between Mr Greene and BEC Chairman Leslie Miller was sparked after it was announced that BEC employees will no longer be allowed to “double-dip” by collecting both NIB and their full salary, beginning November 1.
Mr Miller issued a corporation-wide memo telling staff they will no longer be allowed to collect from National Insurance for certain benefits, such as sick benefit, while being paid by BEC.
Last week, Mr Green said the union would give Prime Minister Perry Christie a chance to override Mr Miller’s decision before taking legal or industrial action.
In an interview with The Tribune on Thursday, Labour Minister Shane Gibson explained that unilateral changes to policy regarding sick leave benefits at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation would be in breach of labour laws.
Despite public statements by Mr Miller that changes would be effected this month, Mr Gibson explained that no employer can alter a long-standing written or verbal contract without consultation.
In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Gibson also took issue with the term “double-dipping”, a phrase used to describe the trend of getting both regular pay and NIB benefits while out sick.
According to Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) president John Pinder, as many as 20,000 public servants “double-dip” when on sick leave. Mr Pinder said the system was costing the public up to $10 million extra a year and created the potential for massive fraud.
Mr Christie returned to the country on Friday from a series of international meetings.
Mr Greene said he felt that Mr Christie’s intervention led to the admission by Deputy Prime Minister Brave Davis yesterday that the status quo would remain at the corporation until the trade dispute with the union had been resolved.
Comments
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 5 months ago
I would say Mr Miller should hand this mess back over to the DPM. They sent him there for a reason, to clean up this mess of BEC, now they are stabbing him in the back. 170% increase in fuel surcharge to cover up inefficient operations well done! we are paying higher electricity bills so workers can stage sickouts and get paid.
TalRussell 10 years, 5 months ago
Seems a negative signal when the sitt'in government of the day is "unprepared" to read the riot act to BEC double dippers. Yet, they want Bahamalander's to believe that they are serious when it come to fixing the many other problems facing our tiny nation. PM, if you're not prepared to weed out the double dippers, then how can you be expected fix the missteps taken by your administration? PM take too many more missteps and you'll return to your party's unpopularity of 2002 -2007. PM still time to fix yourself.
jlcandu 10 years, 5 months ago
If I was Leslie Miller, I'd resign as Chairman and tell the DPM & PM to go to hell!!!
John 10 years, 5 months ago
Leslie Miller is not a quitter and he is use to being in situations where there are 100 men. TEN are working and the rest are slacking off! Gold Rush!
hj 10 years, 5 months ago
There you have it. Because the government is afraid to stand up to unions,prepare for VAT and more taxes in the future. Because more taxes will increase the cost of living,unions will demand more raises to cope with it. Most likely the government will give in again. After all ,all they care about is votes.
USAhelp 10 years, 5 months ago
Must be nice , way to go please increase our electric bill to cover the well deserved double pay.
JohnDoe 10 years, 5 months ago
Let's be pragmatic folks and take a deep breath. A civil democratic society is based on the fundamental premise that each individual will implicitly accede to a social contract and that the Law will protect certain rights involving our persons, property and mutual promises. This fundamental underpinning transcends Mr. Miller or the union. The union's position may be distasteful, but is that sufficient to abridge their purported rights? Therefore, in my view, there are no heros in this mess only villians. Further, the day when we as a society begin to accept the proposition that the end justifies any means used to accomplish that end, then we as a society would be one step closer to anarchy and one step closer to the condition described by Thomas Hobbes when he stated that, we will live "in continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short". Some may say that we are already living under such conditions.
John 10 years, 5 months ago
MAYBE ITS TIME FOR THE BAHAMA JOHN Q public to take to the streets in protest. To take to the streets in protest of government corruption, double dipping, higher taxes red tape in local businesses, union gang banging and ugly government workers! Yes those government workers who are ugly with attitude and do nothingness.
john33xyz 10 years, 5 months ago
It is illegal to protest in the Bahamas. You must obtain permission from the Police first.
John 10 years, 5 months ago
So You SAy!
The_Oracle 10 years, 5 months ago
No VAT until the BEC mess is sorted out!! No VAT until property Tax is paid up!! No VAT until Bahamasair and Water and Sewage has stopped bleeding the treasury!! No VAT until the Government comes clean on the IMF ultimatum!! No VAT until Bahamians can trust the Government!! I can waste my own money thank you, I have no interest in Government Helping me do so, and by force!! Incompetence is a costly state of affairs, but the incompetent are trying to shift their mistake onto those who have invested, saved, and honor and obey the laws of the land. Disgraceful individuals run a disgraceful Government. No doubt The P.M. will exempt himself from VAT.
John 10 years, 5 months ago
NO VAT until there is NO VAT..lol
John 10 years, 5 months ago
But definitely no VAT until it is put on gambling and hotels..guest rooms for sure..
John 10 years, 5 months ago
Why do yall say BAHAMASAIR is bleeding the treasury? BAHAMASAIR is doing much needed service to this country just like the PHA, the fire department, the police, and many other essential services. To get rid of BAHAMASAIR at this point, or even privatize it too soon, will further stagnate the growth and development of the family islands and lead to more overcrowding in New Providence. The $20 million that goes into BAHAMASAIR is a drop in the bucket compared to what government spends elsewhere. AND SPEAKING OF drop in the bucket. This company that water and sewerage hired (think it is from Isreal well they really seem to be on the ball in getting these water leaks fixed and cutting the water and sewerage losses I think by 80%? Well wonder how many illegal hookups they come across so far. Do they alert the news and take photos when they find persons illegally hooked up to the national water supply? Will these persons be given a bill to pay, based on their average consumption and times the number of years they been t'iefin water? And will they be prosecuted if they do not pay? The company is charging $80 million to fix the water system and so if you find someone t'iefin water they should be made to pay!
concernedcitizen 10 years, 5 months ago
when 1 in 4 of the workforce are on the public payroll you have to continue to tax and borrow and even then its unsubstainable ,,,,its funny the government made this mess by using the public corps to absorb our prolific birth rate and secure votes ..We are just following the other countries in our region ,make more babies then the GDP can provide jobs for and when the public purse can no longer employ them crime and poverty increases ..IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE FOLKS ..............
USAhelp 10 years, 5 months ago
Government employees exempt from VAT. Seems like the right thing to do.
limeyconch 10 years, 5 months ago
Wow, myself being self employed should see if when i get sick i can pay myself and get my NIB dollars!
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 5 months ago
Go for it. In fact everyone should try. I'm going to check my contract as well. This is ludicrous
Emac 10 years, 5 months ago
These are the things that drive honest, hardworking citizens who significantly contribute to the Bahamas, out of their own country. No one wants to be in a country that is held hostage by unruly, spoiled civil servants, an uncaring government, or religious fanatics. I would rather be living in a first world country where respect is the norm, where people are held accountable for their actions and pay taxes any day!
Reality_Check 10 years, 5 months ago
Our brain dead PM will now try persuade the public (like the unions) that BEC and other government corporations and government departments and agencies would all be paying their employees a higher base pay amount if it were not for their ability to "double dip" by pocketing National Insurance sick pay benefits. Christie would have us poor Bahamian taxpayers with outrageously high light bills believe the "double dipping" policy was all by design of past PLP and FNM governments to ensure union employees received an appropriate and fair level of compensation and benefits. Nothing could be further from the truth though.....IT CAN ONLY BE PROPERLY DESCRIBED AS BUT ONE OF MANY GLARING EXAMPLES OF THE EGREGIOUS AND ILLEGAL "VOTE BUYING" THAT GOES ON IN OUR COUNTRY TODAY AS A RESULT OF POLITICIANS CORRUPT TO THE CORE! And to think our corrupt government now wants us to pay higher taxes through VAT, etc. so that they can continue devising similar schemes to defraud the taxpayers of this country for the purpose of buying votes by means of a bigger more costly government sector. Christie is now too senile to feel the shame he should be experiencing which means it really is time for him and many of his cohorts to step aside or risk ending up behind bars....and I don't the kind of bars where one can wet their whistle!
realfreethinker 10 years, 5 months ago
Dont hold your breath for them to go behind bars unless you mean the one that sell liquor.They all cover each others ass. at least 30 % of our mps in the last 40 years should have gone to prison for corruption
concernedcitizen 10 years, 5 months ago
Well said !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nationbuilder 10 years, 5 months ago
Can we move onto who is about to take BEC now?
realfreethinker 10 years, 5 months ago
Probably more friends and lovers. who will continue to rape us. And the beat goes on
Reality_Check 10 years, 5 months ago
Everyone who really wants to know already knows who the Bahamian players/principals are behind the BEC deal that the PM approved in principle many months ago, a "sweet heart" of a deal that will see poor Bahamian taxpayers fleeced of their State owned assets with no major reduction in their light bills.
hj 10 years, 5 months ago
I don't think they are interested in cleaning any mess. The whole idea is about money and finding jobs for the "boys". Look how many "consultants" were hired. As the the Miller BEC standoff it is all part of the"show".
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 5 months ago
I don't think Mr Miller was a part of the charade if in fact it was a charade. He was given a chairmanship, he could have done as many of them do, collect the money, take the car and office and never attend a single meeting. He actually worked*, that is unusual for this PR loving, Nygard Cay partying bunch, he's not a shining example in all aspects but he's not like them.
Stapedius 10 years, 5 months ago
Another priceless intervention by Perry 'no balls' Christie. If I were Miller I would resign. We aint serious in this country. As soon as unions raise a fuss the government backs down. There needs to be some serious reform in how we run this country of ours. Screw BEC and its union. A horribly run company with horrible customer service. This is what happens when we have weak leaders who only care about votes. No real change, just a bunch of muppets in Parliament.
hnhanna 10 years, 5 months ago
The Government stabbed Mr. Miller in his back; I must say the Government has no backbone because they are in bed with the unions
john33xyz 10 years, 5 months ago
Mr. MIller should now say, he agrees the Unions deserve "all they can get" and declare that from now on union members of BEC (not those who are not members - if any) will be paid 10 (TEN) times their normal wage while on sick leave and also be allowed to collect NIB benefits.
If you can double-dip - then why not ten-fold? He should push this forward and keep pushing until he is fired. At least the issue will remain in the press a while longer.
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 5 months ago
I take it beyond BEC, every working Bahamian should now submit sickness claims to NIB. If the employer tries to slip in a restriction we have word from the Horses mouths that they are not allowed to do so.
bcitizen 10 years, 5 months ago
I can guarantee you and I am not sure of the number but, if for example they get 1 week sick leave per year they take every single day of it (sick or not) and get paid twice. It is better than vacation! Double pay while your sick. No private company that was hemorrhaging money like BEC would continue this practice. Why not cut this stupid double dip robbery out and give people a bonus if they do not take any sick days over the course of a year or 6 months. I guess we all have to pay VAT now to prop up the bloated over paid double dipping. BEC is breaking this country the cost of electricity/energy is doing more damage to our economy than VAT could ever do. It effects and permeates every business and private person in the country and every sector of the economy. Imagine the economic boost if energy dropped 10-20% tomorrow. Reform at BEC should be the #1 priority of the government it would help or somewhat alleviate every other problem we have except maybe crime.
4renbahamian 10 years, 5 months ago
We can now say there is a real Bahamian Mob, a goverment with no balls, Perry you are a disgusting pile of sh1t.
VDSheep 10 years, 5 months ago
What government negotiated this deal with the union - to be paid by BEC when sick and be paid by NIB also - it’s a lot of pork in this deal to the BEC union and whatever agency of the government that has a sweetheart deal like that! It seems more financially viable to be on sick leave than to work. However, if that’s the agreement it ought to be honored, until you cut a new contract. I guess Leslie Miller and many others has issues with the deal in this economy - it seems greedy, by folks who cannot pay their electricity bill.
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 5 months ago
The PM said that he signalled to the IMF that he would govern just as he did in 2002-2007 and he wasn't joking!
The lumbering dinosaur has no clue that the environment is changing around him. Winter is coming.
John 10 years, 5 months ago
IF I hear Concerndcitizen talk about our prolific birth rate one more time, I will have an abortion, then puke (and I am 100% male). Look at the facts: During the 50' s and 60's a Bahamian family was average 7 children but many families had 10,11 12 children and some even as much as 15 offspring. In the 70's and 80's the family size was cut down to 4-5 children and in early 2000's many families had 2-3 children. In 2013 many families have only 1 child and some Bahamian couples opt to have NO children. Yes, we acknowledge that there are a lot of children being born out-of-wedlock and these single mothers tend to have more children than a married couple. They still see a child as an 'economic tool' either to garnish money from its father or as a hope for the future. They expect the child to become wealthy, not always by honest means, and take care of the mother even elevate them socially. Since back in the 50's most Bahamian families had farms, did fishing or some other labour intensive work, a large family was affordable and contributed to the sustenance of the family. Today with the murder rate what it is, especially among young, black Bahamian males, it will not be wise to cut the birth rate, especially with the number of migrants coming to this countryl
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 5 months ago
What an absolutely foolish, irresponsible statement. "A lot of children being born out of wedlock"? "A lot"?? How about 70%? We have a generation of our own "Lost Boys and Girls" right here in the Bahamas. Effectively fatherless and motherless children bringing themselves up with sometimes extremely warped views of right and wrong. What an absolutely foolish statement. Unbelievable.
"Several years ago the TV show 60 Minutes ran a fascinating segment about the slaughter of white rhinos in the South African wildlife preserve. 39 of these rare white rhinos had been killed, and Park Rangers were on alert! But after a thorough investigation, it turned out that the rhinos weren’t killed by poachers, but rather by unlikely juvenile delinquents – teen elephants! The story began a decade earlier when the park could no longer sustain the increasing population of elephants. They decided to kill many of the adult elephants whose young were old enough to survive without them. And so, the young elephants grew up fatherless. As time went on, many of these young elephants roamed together in gangs and began to do things elephants normally don’t do. They threw sticks and water at rhinos and acted like neighborhood bullies. Without dominant males, the young bulls became sexually active, producing excessive testosterone and exhibiting aggressive behavior. A few young males grew especially violent, knocking down rhinos and stepping or kneeling on them, crushing the life out of them. Believe it or not, the park rangers theorized that these young teen-aged elephants were acting badly because they lacked role models. The solution was to bring in a large male to lead them and to counteract their bully behaviors. Soon the new male established dominance and put the young bulls in their places. The killing stopped. The young males were mentored—and saved. Wow. What a crazy story . . . "
concernedcitizen 10 years, 5 months ago
@john likes to babble ,on the family island i live most of the" under educated" single mothers i know have 4 to 5 kids for 2 to 3 different dead beat dads ..Now John feel free to puke ,like the rest of the region we are making under educated anti social children faster then the GDP can absorb them ..
wearedone 10 years, 5 months ago
Maybe the government should get back into smuggling drugs to raise money. Worked out well before and they are praised as heroes. It's a win win situation. To name an airport for a person who would let drugs fly into the country, classy.
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 5 months ago
Yes! Diversify the economy. As George Smith says "why does it matter how you make your money". (Could explain why we court so many shady developers)
4renbahamian 10 years, 5 months ago
I am so disgusted by this I am speechless. A major financial fraud uncovered and there are people who think there is nothing wrong with it. The government wants to put a lid on the BEC issue guickly before other corporations and government entities are name. The leaders in this country stole from the people for so long, the people dont know when they are stealing from themselves.
B_I_D___ 10 years, 5 months ago
I had one of my employees the other day tell me that 'his mother had 13 children'...when I asked about his father, his response was they lost count. Staggering and frightening!!
Solomon 10 years, 5 months ago
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
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