The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AS a 30-day ultimatum from the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union to Bahamas Power and Light officials ends today, union president Kyle Wilson says none of their concerns were addressed.

 BEWU president Kyle Wilson gave BPL 30 days to address their concerns related to hazardous pay, pension, and medical benefits, among other issues.

 “The time for talk is over,” he told The Tribune yesterday. “I think after 30 days of agitation, asking, writing letters and of trying to meet and sitting down, not one item, not one thing has been resolved.”

 He declined to say what the union would do.

 “The union has a toolbox, but the ultimate tool is always removal of ourselves or removal of our labour for conditions we feel are not in our best interest,” he said.

 “My thing is, we would never intentionally disrupt the energy supply and hurt the innocent Bahamian people just because there’s issues between union and management.”

 “I would still try to the last second because (Monday) being the last day, to have a resolution. Nobody wants to strike. We don’t want a sick out. We don’t want to disrupt the power. We just want our issues resolved because after striking and sicking out, I still have to go back to those conditions.”

 He said BEWU members gave leaders “the green light to do whatever it takes” to resolve their grievances.

 The union’s threat comes after joining the Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union (BEUMU) in filing trade disputes alleging industrial agreement breaches and other violations by the state-owned utility.

 BEWU alleged that BPL breached their industrial agreement by contracting other staff to do the same jobs as unionised employees but with better benefits such as hazardous pay, insurance and 12-hour shifts.

 The union is demanding the same benefits for its workers and better work conditions for workers. 

 Mr Wilson sent photos and videos sent to the press showing messy restrooms, missing ceiling tiles and rain leaking through a roof at a BPL station, highlighting undesirable work conditions.

 “We’re dealing with humans, man,” he said. “We’re not animals, come on. Don’t treat us like that. I dare any of those executives to use the same restrooms, to use the same trailer as an office space for them.”

 A BPL spokesman told Tribune Business last week that the issues the union outlined are either in active discussion or being settled in courts. 

 Mr Wilson said they had been told to take their concerns to court during meetings with top BPL officials.

 He said: “Is that how you deal with the workers? Is that you care about us, right? We’re sitting with you but you’re telling me during these meetings that the only way how I’m going to get resolution is if I take you to court.”

 He added: “We don’t have the monies to fight the legal challenges even though we’re being wronged, and so to hear the company use the excuse that we have to take them to court to get what rightfully belongs to us as Bahamian workers, I’m saying where is the new day that was promised?”