The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Communications and Public Officers Union President Bernard Evans yesterday criticised Cable Bahamas Limited’s successful bid to become the country’s second cellular services provider.

He said it was an “indictment to be entertaining Cable Bahamas for any other license in this country.”

In October, a statement from the government announced that CBL had emerged as the successful bidder in the spectrum auction for the country’s second cellular services provider.

The government added that it anticipates awarding the new license by the end of this year, however it said the company must now fulfil certain pre-conditions before receiving the license.

Yesterday, Mr Evans said it is a “shame” and a “travesty” that Cable Bahamas (CBL) was “even invited” to bid for the license, given the company’s alleged poor track record in being “good and fair to their employees.”

As a result, Mr Evans said the BCPOU would solicit the support of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas (NCTUB) to protest “against the issuance of any second license for Cable Bahamas to enter this market.”

Mr Evans also said that he is willing to be a “one-man gang” in protesting against Cable Bahamas’ successful bid.

Yesterday, Mr Evans questioned, amongst other things, CBL’s capacity to serve as a second cellular service provider.

“Cable Bahamas, in our opinion, do not deserve to even be entertained,” he said. “For the last 20 years, (Cable Bahamas has) not been a good corporate citizen. They have not been good and fair to their employees. The average tenure of service at Cable Bahamas is about five years for a company that’s been in operation for over 20 years.

“We’ve been agitating that they have violated the constitutional rights of those employees at Cable Bahamas to organise themselves into a union,” he added. “It’s a downright shame and disgrace and we will ask the TUC and NCTUB to stand with us and protest against the issuance of any second license for Cable Bahamas to enter this market. They don’t deserve it.”

According to a government statement, the remaining conditions for licensing include CBL honouring its commitment to have at least 51 per cent of the shares of “NewCo”, the company that will be granted the license, owned by “HoldingCo”, which will be a 100 per cent Bahamian-owned company.

The Cellular Liberalisation Task Force’s focus will now shift to engaging CBL regarding the stated pre-conditions, while at the same time soliciting eligible Bahamian investors for HoldingCo, the government said.

Previously, Prime Minister Perry Christie said the Cellular Liberalization Task Force, formed last April, has drafted transaction documents to govern a partnership with the government that will allow for a 49-51 per cent ownership split with the selected company.