More than 100 employees at the Cable & Wireless (C&W) operated Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) have applied and have been approved for its recent voluntary separation package (VSEP), as the telecoms giant attempts to streamline its operations in the face of competition.
President of the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) Bernard Evans, told Eyewitness News Thursday, that an estimated 120 employees applied but 20 of those applications were denied by management.
“Management was desirous of about 150 persons,” Evans said.
“We knew not everyone who applied would not able to leave and they (management), were somewhat disappointed that more senior persons did not take up the offer.”
Evans said while he believes that the process was conducted fairly, he is concerned about one clause of the separation agreement that stipulates that employees will not be able to work in the same field for a period of six months.
“We are looking to have that time frame reduced,” Evans said.
“For some of those that separate, for them to be out of work for that period of time is difficult.”
According to Evans, this is the fourth round of separation of employees since the company was privatized back in 2011.
In an earlier statement released by the company, BTC officials said, the company continues to respond to a “rapidly changing” telecoms market and is moving to a more customer-centric approach to its business.
“We are making adjustments to how we run our business, including carrying out necessary network upgrades, giving more focus on training and development and improving back office support to better serve our customers,” the statement read.
“As part of this broader program, BTC has implemented a voluntary separation program to help ensure we have the right structure to succeed and to address issues in a competitive environment.”
