BEWU President says he was “pleased” with meeting with DPM
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) President Kyle Wilson said after a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Public Works Minister Desmond Bannister, the union has been promised that some of their issues and cocenrs will be resolved within their 14-day deadline.
The union met with Bannister on Thursday following a demonstration outside Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) on Baillou Hill Road earlier this week.
BPL workers indicated that hat the final straw was approaching before the union further agitates for the removal of the leadership team and instructs workers to cease work due to conditions becoming unbearable.
Speaking to Eyewitness News, WIlson said while tenion in the union is still high, they are hopeful that after intervention from
“The deputy prime mnister was quite clear and precise in his communication that he wanted the issues in BPL resolved before the 14-days are up,” he said.
“There are some issues that will take more than that time to resolve, but he did make a commitment to having them resolved.”
Wilson said that Bannister intends to schedule a sit down with the union and the leadership of BPL to meet and resolve the issues.
“I am quite pleased with the leadership of the deputy prime minister for immediately steoping in,” he added.
He further thanked Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minis for advising them that they are aware of the issues and “will do whatever they can to resolve them”.
“We will see what is going to develop over the upcoming days and hopefully everything can be resolved to the best interests of all parties and the Bahamian people,” Wilson said.
The union remains “engulfed” in numerous legal disputes with the power company, including the validity of a voluntary separation package exercise, “questionable” salary deductions and changes to working conditions and benefits packages, among other serious work-related matters, according to the union leader.
Wilson said with tensions are still high with workers at the power company, there first needs to be a “change in leadership” in the human resource department, claiming that thier concerns have fallen on deaf ears for years.
Labor-management across relations have steadily deteriorated.
