The Bahamas Telecommunications Company's (BTC) decision to downsize its staff is a matter of "simple economics" as the company prepares for competition in the cellular services market, according to BTC CEO Leon Williams.
Speaking with NB12, Williams hit back at claims by the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) that a government intervention is necessary in concluding industrial agreement negotiations, stating that the downsizing process following a failed voluntary separation packages (VSEP) drive is "just business".
"The union, who said that talks are going nowhere, signed off on 36 of the 56 clauses in the agreement. So if the talks are going nowhere, why would they have signed off on 36 (clauses)?"
Williams' comments come after BCPOU Secretary General Dino Rolle charged that BTC employees were "catching eternal hell" amid unclear details of the downsizing process and ongoing negotiations for a new industrial agreement between the union and BTC.
The union threatened industrial action earlier this month if Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) CEO Philip Bentley did not intervene in negotiations, while Rolle called on Prime Minister Perry Christie to similarly step in and help resolve the issue.
While Williams was unwilling to comment further on the VSEP process, he said that the redundancies are necessary for the survival of the company.
"BTC has to resize. We stated that from a management perspective now for months that you cannot get into a competitive environment where a potential bidder stated that they'd have 300 employees, another potential bidder had 500 employees and we've got 800 employees. It's simple economics," said Williams.
BCPOU President Bernard Evans earlier stated that BTC had only accepted roughly 50 VSEPs, falling far short of the 150 jobs BTC it is reportedly seeking to cut as it prepares for liberalization of the country's cellular sector. However, union officials have repeatedly criticized BTC for keeping its workers in the dark over the redundancy exercises.
BTC requested VSEP applications by March 16. However, BTC officials announced that the company would complete its remaining staff reductions through redundancies after approved VSEPs fell short of expectations.
The Cellular Liberalization Task Force (CLTF) is expected to announce the winner of the country's second cellular license this month. BTC CEO Leon Williams earlier said that the company was prepared to lose upward of 30 percent of its market share once the second cellular operator enters the market.
However, Williams took umbrage with BCPOU officials' suggestions that BTC's promotional sponsorships had at all impacted the company's ability to fairly compensate its workers.
"There's no way that we will disadvantage the employees, so there has to be a happy median for both. But the sponsorships of the IAAF and the sponsorships of our indigenous culture really bear no relevance to the negotiated contracts at all," said Williams.
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