BPL calls union action illegal; says negotiations “conducted in good faith over the course of months”
Human Rights Bahamas demands BPL heed workers’ concerns
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BWEU) advised yesterday that its members have had enough and are prepared to discontinue work at Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) until “we get what we deserve”.
Workers demonstrated out the corporation’s headquarters as the union expressed grave concerns about members’ benefits; challenges to meet with management; a lack of information on insurance coverage; and what it said was a callous disregard for workers’ safety, pointing to policies it claimed expose personnel to COVID-19.
BEWU President Kyle Wilson said: “We have had enough and we are prepared not to return to work until we get our contract and until our lives are taken seriously and the proper measures are put in place concerning this COVID-19.
“We will not relent. We ain’t like the other set.
“We ain’t relenting until we get what we deserve.”
Asked whether the island’s power supply will remain uninterrupted, the union leader said: “Let the chips fall where they may. Let the chips fall where they may. We have had enough.”
In a statement, BPL took exception to what it called the union’s “illegal industrial action, especially given the pressure placed on our customers by the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Last month, workers staged a sickout amid mounting tension.
Wilson said it was a “show of frustration” toward BPL’s executive team.
“This is what it has come to,” he said.
“The union is tired. We are frustrated and we are asking the powers that be now to please put your boots on the ground and step in to bring relief to your people.”
Wilson added that despite attempts to resolve and agitate for change, workers continue to contract the virus on the job, including cashiers and other personnel.
He said what was needed is proper rotational shifts, remote communication, on-call service and innovative and real-time online services to “keep the people safe”.
Noting that the corporation provides an essential service to consumers and other essential service-providers such as the police, doctors and the Water and Sewerage Corporation, BPL said the BEWU’s action “places them at risk, as well as those of our customers who are undergoing at-home care”.
“Negotiations for a new industrial agreement between BPL and the BEWU have been conducted in good faith over the course of months, even as BPL continues to follow the terms of the [industrial agreement}, which expired in April 2018,” read its statement.
“We wish to assure customers that while we cannot guarantee an uninterrupted power supply, we have contingency plans in place, particularly during this time of great public health need around the country.”
Weighing in on the matter yesterday, Human Rights Bahamas called on BPL to “heed and respect” the concerns of its workers.
“The Bahamas government has made it clear that curtailing the spread of this deadly virus is a national priority,” Rights Bahamas said in a statement.
“BPL should not be placing its staff in crowded and confined conditions, which are an ideal environment for the virus to proliferate.
“In continuing to do so, the company is not just risking the health and safety of its workers, but also their family members, including their children and other dependents, as well as the public at large.
“The pandemic aside, we are also told that BPL employees are regularly exposed to hazardous chemicals and harmful fumes, without being provided with the appropriate safety equipment.
“This is unacceptable.”
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