By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Power and Light's (BPL) chief executive yesterday said "one-third" of the company's voluntary separation (VSEP) applicants have been deemed "critical employees" who cannot be released at this time.

Whitney Heastie said those employees will be asked to remain with the company to assist the state-owned utility through its summer peak season. Given that BPL received 314 voluntary separation requests, his comments imply that around 100 have not been accepted.

"We're looking at about 300 people. A third of those we have deemed as critical employees, and we are going to have to ask them them to stay back and help us through this most critical part of the year, which is summer and our peak season. Then there is a phase-out approach with those staying on as to when they can be released," said Mr Heastie.

"A lot of folks that have left are the most senior people in the organisation, with the most experience in this organisation, and we certainly have learned from these type of exercises in the past where voluntary separation packages are being offered.

"What happens is the senior and most experienced folks leave, and all of a sudden you are in a more critical situation than before. We have applied those lessons to make sure we don't fall into the same trap as before. I think we're in a good position across the board, both technically and administratively, to make sure that we can run this business safely and reliably through the summer period."

He added: "All we are doing is asking them to defer their leaving the company until such time that they can be released." BPL had originally expected to save between $1 million to $2 million per month when the VSEP was completed, but that may not be realised now.

Paul Maynard, the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union's (BEWU) president, told Tribune Business earlier this week that the state-owned utility monopoly could not keep those workers it had rejected "longer than two years".

He said there was "some concern" among staff whose VSEP applications had been rejected, but expressed hope that all issues will be "worked out in meetings" this week with BPL management.