![\"BEC](\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/bec.jpg\" "\\"bec\\"")
Minister of Labour and National Insurance Shane Gibson said management at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) filed a trade dispute after workers walked off the job.<\/p>\nMinister of Labour and National Insurance Shane Gibson said management at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) filed a trade dispute after workers walked off the job.<\/p>\n
Gibson ordered the workers back to work since the matter has been referred to the Industrial Tribunal.<\/p>\n
Workers staged a heated protest over the firing of BEC employee Melinda Cunningham and the suspension of Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU)\u2008chief shop steward Michael Edgecombe.<\/p>\n
They blocked the entrance to BEC\u2019s main office off Baillou Hill Road.<\/p>\n
When senior police officers arrived a shoving match ensued.<\/p>\n
Workers have been going head to head with BEC Chairman Leslie Miller for several months over issues regarding a new shift system and overtime pay.<\/p>\n
They called for his removal at BEC.<\/p>\n
Gibson said he has been advised that Cunningham\u2019s dismissal was lawful and warned members of the BEWU not to violate the provisions of the Industrial Relations Act.<\/p>\n
He said a meeting between the union and BEC executives late yesterday yielded no resolution and he referred the dispute to the Industrial Tribunal for settlement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government is committed to ensuring that members of the public and customers of BEC receive efficient service from the corporation,\u201d Gibson said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurther, the government is prepared to work with all stakeholders including the BEWU to ensure that industrial harmony is the order of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Free National Movement (FNM)\u2008Chairman Darron Cash called for Miller\u2019s termination following the industrial unrest.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce again services to the public were disrupted and staff morale in the corporation plummeted due to reckless actions by Executive Chairman of BEC Leslie Miller,\u201d Cash said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Cash blamed the recent industrial action taken at BEC on Miller.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is high time for an intervention by a responsible grown-up at a higher level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSadly there is no alternative but to turn to the prime minister.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince being appointed to the position of executive chairman of BEC, Leslie Miller has been brazenly conducting himself like a one man wrecking crew with no restraint.\u201d<\/p>\n
TRAVIS CARTWRIGHT-CARROLL<\/em><\/span> BEC filed a trade dispute and Labour Minister Shane Gibson ordered the workers back to work since the matter has been referred to the Industrial Tribunal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10223285771444175_51037792744":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[210,156,144,212],"class_list":["post-33973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","tag-employees","tag-stupidity","tag-union","tag-utilities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33973\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe Nassau Guardian<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"