Bishop (sic) Neil Ellis has been called in to mediate in tense negotiations between management of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation and members of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union.
This is the second union-related dispute in recent weeks in which the Senior Pastor of Mt Tabor Full Gospel Baptist Church has been asked to help. Bishop (sic) Ellis was also called in to negotiations between The Bahamas Union of Teachers and the government, who signed a $20 million agreement last week after four months of "long and arduous negotiations."
BEC management said yesterday it had every confidence in Bishop (sic) Ellis.
The mediation comes as negotiations between executives and union leaders have reached a boiling point.
Yesterday, an anonymous group of "Concerned members of BEWU" released a statement harshly critcising the corporation's management and disputing some of its most recent claims.
In response, BEC's management said that both the corporation and the union "are under a mutually agreed upon gag order while we are supposed to be working together to resolve the ongoing issues."
The gag order was instituted last Friday.
"Given this agreement, BEC finds it distasteful that BEWU would sanction or allow a press release under its name from anonymous 'Concerned Members of the BEWU' given the mutual gag order," said the release.
In their statement, the "Concerned members of BEWU" also noted that the union had entered into a mediation process with a government appointed mediator and BEC to resolve outstanding issues. However the anonymous group questioned salary increases, perks and benefits for certain positions held in the corporation.
The group also said that contrary to recent reports, it was "BEC's management who does not want the current appointed mediator to deal with the 40 hour work week matter."
Last week BEWU president Dennis Williams told the press that union members were "disgusted" by the comments made by BEC General Manager Kevin Basden, who announced that if the corporation gave into the union's demands for more money, the public would suffer a massive increase in electrical bills.
"That statement is very erroneous and it's a futile attempt to get the public against the workers of BEC," Mr Williams said. "This is not so. This is simply some kind of game to get the Bahamian to think that we are being greedy."
Mr Williams said this recent attempt by Mr Basden to "attack" the BEWU via the Bahamian public has prompted the union to fight "fire with fire."
According to Mr Williams, the tension between BEC management and the BEWU has been brewing for "a very long time," but recently came to a head last week when union members claimed the corporation's management team was trying to avoid dealing with their concerns, which include compensation, health and safety concerns and over 36 other issues.
On Wednesday past about 300 members of the BEWU held a massive "meeting" in front of the BEC building on Blue Hill Road to implement their promise to take serious action against BEC for not responding to their plight.
The general manager deemed that move unwarranted and illegal and added that if the workers withdraw their labour, the corporation "will do our part to provide service to the customers as best we can."
Original article by: JIMENITA SWAIN, The Nassau Guardian
