The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The trade union representing the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) line staff is still seeking to resolve employee pay and recognition-related issues dating back to 2011.

Bernard Evans, the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union’s (BCPOU) president, said: “Ever since the downsizing of 2011 thereabouts, junior staff has taken up more responsibility, which would have normally been carried out by senior personnel.

“A lot of them, by our current terms and conditions, ought to have been reclassified. We have still have a number of those yet to be resolved. There’s things like that, proper recognition, proper pay for the kind of work they have been asked to do.

“In many cases we have been asking for additional staff for some of our Family Islands, like Inagua. It makes it difficult for those persons to take a break or vacation. We have been behind the company to try and bring those issues legacy issues to a result.”

Mr Evans added: “We have signed a contract and there is a pay increase that we will hopefully receive by June, although the effective date was April 1. We are happy for that.

“We are getting somewhere but it’s kind of slow given that it was a record year again for the company. Money is not the issue. The company seems to be taking up the money to Miami and not leaving much to deal with those legacy issues of compensation with the staff. We have filed a trade dispute in that regard. We have not yet met for the first conciliation meeting.”

Liberty Global, Europe’s largest cable company, recently acquired BTC’s majority owner, Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) and, by extension, the controlling equity interest at BTC.

The deal still has to be approved by the Government. CWC - including BTC - will become part of Liberty’s Latin American and Caribbean group (the LiLAC Group).