NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) President Sherry Benjamin said yesterday that as the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) seeks to enforce its mandatory vaccination policy on contract and temporary workers come January 1, the union will stand with those workers and send the company a “clear and strong message” of zero tolerance.
“I want them to understand this and I want them to get this message and get it very clear that the BCPOU will stand with all employees, whether they are contractual [or] whether they are temporary employees. We will stand with all employees to ensure that they are not put out to pasture because of their vaccination status,” Benjamin told Eyewitness News.
In internal memos, BTC gave its employees until January 1, 2022, to become vaccinated against the coronavirus, in compliance with Cable and Wireless Communication’s mandatory vaccination policy for associates to return to offices in various jurisdictions.
Last month, the BCPOU said it would not allow the company to remove the right for Bahamians and residents to choose the jab, which remains voluntary in The Bahamas.
According to Benjamin, the company pushed back the requirement for permanent, full-time employees to become vaccinated to March, but plans to carry out its new policy for contract and temporary employees in 31 days.
“The country does not have a mandatory vaccination policy, and so, the company should not be forcing anyone to take a vaccine and then not really accept any liability,” she said.
“…We’re going to send them a very clear message in the beginning of January. If they do not send us a positive message before January 1, we will send them a very clear message loud and strong that we will not tolerate it.
“There has to be a cut-off point as to what they are allowed to do to Bahamians.”
Asked whether the union would be satisfied if BTC accepted some liability for employees who may experience adverse effects from the vaccine, such as paid time off to recover, Benjamin said the BCPOU will not accept any forced vaccination.
“From my understanding, they’re planning on going full steam ahead with their action on the contract and temporary employees, but we’re going to stand together with them as a union,” she said.
“Some of those contract workers are members of the BCPOU even though we don’t have bargaining rights for them.
“The country needs to stand up on this one because if you put these Bahamians out to pasture and put them on the unemployment line, it’s a trickle-down effect.
“If they’re no longer employed in the company, we have less people to do the work, which means that our customers — if they’re not being serviced or not able to get the services they are requiring, then they can then take their business to the competition.”
Nearly 80 percent of workers in BTC’s outside plant are contractual workers, according to Benjamin, who said those workers are still employed with BTC but have “drastically” reduced benefits and lack health insurance despite the potentially hazardous work they do.
She said another 90 percent or so of the company’s sales team are contractual workers — more than 150 workers.
“They are enslaving the Bahamians because we have those persons who are working, risking their lives, but not getting any benefit from it — not getting the proper compensation from it,” the BCPOU president said.
The union president said the government should be concerned with BTC placing more workers on the unemployment line and the burden it will create with more people becoming dependent on unemployment benefits.
“All you are doing is passing the burden on to the taxpayers, and then, who is going to do the job?” Benjamin asked.
“The work that BTC does, especially our technical staff, there is no skill bank for that job other than the employees that BTC has.
“You either have to be a retired employee or a current employee, or they will have to bring somebody in and when you bring in somebody, again you’re taking jobs away from Bahamians, that Bahamians could have.”
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