President of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union Dennis Williams has put his members on alert as a new round of industrial tension takes hold at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation.
It comes 18 months after the corporation and the union agreed to set their differences aside and enter a new era of industrial relations marked by the signing of a four-year, $15.5 million industrial agreement.
That agreement provided for a 12 percent salary increase over the life of the contract.
“For over a year now, the union has been involved in unnecessarily protracted talks with BEC’s management to resolve serious matters as it relates to the betterment of working conditions for you, the hard workers that build BEC,” Mr. Williams said in a written message to the members. “The union has engaged in these talks with the utmost respect and good faith.
“Unfortunately, our counterparts, BEC’s management, has used this opportunity to engage in deceitful, dishonest and blatantly disrespectful actions toward you, the hardworking members of this great union.”
Mr. Williams claimed that the union has been informed by BEC’s management that it has ‘nothing to give you’ as it relates to salary increases for 2006.
“The management of BEC has drawn a line in the sand and looked the union’s executives square in the face and dared you, our members, to cross it,” the statement said. “As the leaders of this great union, we are asking you to accept this challenge and pick up the gauntlet. Let us make a bold statement by crossing that line.”
Mr. Williams said over the next few days and weeks, union executives will ask workers to undertake the necessary actions to bring the executives of BEC into realization that the workers and members of the BEWU will not be “plundered by any tyrannical executive of the corporation.”
“We take these matters very seriously as it is not usual that we ask you to take drastic measures to resolve any dispute,” the statement also said.
BEC’s Chairman Keith Major referred inquires on the matter to General Manager Kevin Basden, who was unavailable for comment.
Labour Minister Vincent Peet told The Bahama Journal yesterday that he was aware of the dispute and it is a serious one.
He said given the nature of the dispute he was not in a position to comment, but was on his way to meet with BEC’s management to discuss growing tensions.
Mr. Williams has called a press conference for noon today to discuss the union’s concerns.
By: Stephen Gay, The Bahama Journal
