President of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU), Kyle Wilson is calling for more consultation on the future of Bahamas Power and Light (BPL).
Wilson spoke to ZNS News on the issue recently. He said, “its just absolute pandemonium and uncertainty as rumours continue to fly, as there is social media posts about BPL and all type of things happening. Its just steering up frustration in the membership right now and everyone just feels disillusioned. The fact that we have them purporting in the House Of Assembly that there will be no lay-offs or job cuts but yet still they’re not engaging the union and showing us anything in black and white that will confirm that or not giving me anything to take back to the membership to quell their fears really.”
The union president called the silence of the government on the matter egregious. “No matter how it is, whether if we stay or go the changes will have an affect. You’re saying that you’re basically bringing a strategic partner and giving them full control. We don’t know if they are going to honour our agreements. We don’t know if their agreements and they policies and procedures and their company values line up with what we’ve had agreed with our company. And so how is that going to marry, how is that going to work. And so these questions loom and we have not been given a seat at the table to ask them to get the right answers to take back to the members.”
Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Davis and Minister of Transport and Energy, the Hon. Jobeth Coleby-Davis have assured that any changes at BPL would not include staff reductions.
