• Union’s stance softens after energy reform talks
• BEWU seeks consultation, not confrontation with gov’t
• Energy Minister commits to addressing workers’ issues

By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Kyle Wilson, the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union’s (BEWU) president, said although the union still has outstanding concerns about how the government’s energy reform will affect employees the “temperature has turned down significantly” after meeting with officials.

“The union wants consultation, not confrontation,” said Mr Wilson.

“Based on the meetings that we had, the temperature has turned down significantly in terms of confrontive their attitudes on all on both sides. I think it has a degree of positivity to it thus far.”

Mr Wilson said the union drafted a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister on August 9, outlining their concerns and was promised a reply within 14 working days.

“We still have outstanding concerns and questions, but we were able to meet with the Acting Prime Minister, Chester Cooper, followed up a meeting with the Minister of Energy and Transport [JoBeth Coleby-Davis] along with senior policy advisor, Mr Jerome Fitzgerald,” said Mr Wilson.

“At that meeting, the unions asked to formalise all of its concerns and requests to which we did. We turn those over to the OPM, and we recently received a letter last Thursday from the Office of the Minister of Energy thanking us for those concerns and requests and to give them 14 working days since we would have placed the letter, which would have been on the ninth, to get back to us to properly address all of the concerns and issues.”

Mr Wilson said the union felt as though it was being “bypassed” in the planned rnergy reform and not receiving adequate information about the deal with Bahamas Grid Company.

The meeting, he said, was a “step in the right direction” and Mrs Coleby-Davis has pledged to listen to employee concerns and work to fix the issues.

“The issue was getting the respect that was needed, or getting the information as a union was something that would greatly impact us, and we felt as if we were not being heard,” said Mr Wilson.

“We felt as if we were being bypassed. It’s good that the minister would at least come to have some of the concerns of workers affected. I think that’s a step forward in the right direction.

“She pledged that she’s going to work, she’s there for the workers and they respect the unions. And so that part we will see in the near future, if they’re going to own up to it. We talked about publicised issues and they said they’re going to work to fix those issues.”

Mr Wilson remains hopeful but cautious, saying: “I will trust them up until they prove otherwise. They gave us their word that they’re going to give us written, documented form as to the way forward and so I await to see that.

“I trust them to their word, and I look forward to a follow up, a subsequent meeting, and to basically get the response in writing so I can properly address the employees at BPL as to what is going on, then, how the deal will affect the future continuity of employment with BPL and Bahamas Grid,” he said

Last month, Mr Wilson said BPL employees are “frustrated, angry” over a perceived lack of “transparency” regarding the Davis administration’s plans for BPL’s existing workforce and whether all the benefits and rights contained in their existing industrial agreements will be honoured.

He accused the Davis administration of intentionally keeping BPL staff and the public “in the dark” on the terms of the agreements struck to outsource New Providence’s baseload energy generation and control of the island’s energy grid to the private sector.

He also accused BPL management of showing a “great level of disrespect” to workers by excluding the union and refusing to inform staff exactly how the reforms could impact their careers.

New Providence’s electricity grid is being transferred to the control of Bahamas Grid Company, an entity that will be 60 percent majority-owned by private investors. Island Grid, the entity that will manage Bahamas Grid Company, is headed by Eric Pike, whose Pike Electrical will be supplying the manpower, equipment and resources to overhaul the grid. Pike trucks and staff are already arriving in The Bahamas.

Bahamas Grid Company is presently raising $100m via the private placement of a bond issue, with the proceeds set to finance some $120m in “foundational” upgrades to the New Providence grid by the 2025 third quarter. The bond offering document details the implications for BPL staff, with expatriate workers set to take the lead on the upgrades until Bahamians can be up-skilled.