The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Electrical Workers Union’s (BEWU) president says “everything is on the table” in resolving its members’ grievances with Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) after all requirements for taking strike action were met.

Kyle Wilson reiterated that the union, which represents BPL line staff, is hoping for an amicable solution to the two sides’ differences despite last week obtaining certification of its strike vote - a key step that clears the way for potential industrial action.

He added, though, that he was encouraged by newly-appointed energy minister, JoBeth Coleby-Davis, touring Blue Hills Power Station to see working conditions at the site. But Mr Wilson added that if the union and its members have to go on strike to drive home their concerns, and the need for redress, they will.

Mr Wilson said of the strike vote: “It was a 99 percent unanimous ‘yes’ vote, telling the powers that be that there are major issues here and BPL, I don’t care how much you deny, the workers spoke strong - from Abaco to Inagua.

“So I’m happy that the minister of energy and transport, Jobeth Coleby-Davis, flanked by the labour relations unit, headed by Bernard Evans, would have come here to begin to view some of the concerns that the workers have here at BPL. She also gave a commitment to travel throughout the Family Islands,to see the concerns that the union have showed on the various islands.”

A media tour of Clifton Pier’s Station A power plant, which houses BPL’s Wartsila-made engines, exposed last month that there are cracks in the walls of the energy tower basements and yellow tape cordoning off several areas of the station.

Mr Wilson, added: “All we’re asking for is a safe environment to work in. We ask that our benefits be respected, that our industrial agreement be respected. We’re working along with chief operating officer, Toni Seymour, who is acting in the capacity of the chief executive (Shevonn Cambridge) in his absence, and she has been nothing but a breath of fresh air for the union to work with.”

Obie Ferguson, the union’s attorney and Trade Union Congress (TUC), previously told this newspaper that an agreement between the workers and BPL was imminent and that industrial action was likely to be avoided. Mr Wilson responded: “The strike vote was done over two weeks ago, plus we’ve just received a certificate giving us the right to strike.

“He is intimately involved, Obie Ferguson, and it’s no secret that I’m tied to the hip with Mr Ferguson. We work hand in hand in his legal capacity, and in his capacity as the president of the TUC, and so everyone wants to see peace. Bear in mind, no one wants to strike and I don’t think anyone wants BPL to strike under these conditions.

“We’re suffering with unreliable power and high heat. So even myself, I don’t even want to strike. I want to go home to enjoy the modern amenities of air conditioning. But, if it comes down to these types of things, the union is not afraid to do whatever we have to do to protect our benefits, protect our safety, and protect our standard of living following today’s tour.”

Responding to whether a strike could be delayed, Mr Wilson said: “Everything is on the table. But based on what the minister did today, it really softens the heart of the workers to do anything untoward or to get into that type of action.”